Southbay Man Faces Life in Prison for Sex Trafficking

LOS ANGELES, CA - A Gardena man faces a possible life sentence when he is sentenced July 18 for forcing seven girls -- one whom was 13 years old -- to work as prostitutes.

Laron "Birdd" Carter was found guilty Wednesday by a Los Angeles federal jury of seven counts of sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud or coercion, and seven counts of transporting a child to engage in prostitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Evidence showed that Carter, 39, beat, punched and whipped his victims.

"This verdict and the possible life prison sentence it carries should give solemn pause to anyone considering selling minors for sex," said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit in Los Angeles. "Those who sexually exploit young people for financial gain show that greed has no bounds."

The case against Carter stemmed from the 2013 rescue of a 16-year-old girl who told investigators she had been recruited by Carter to travel from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.

When she arrived in Southern California, Carter set her up in an El Segundo hotel room and advertised her services on backpage.com, evidence showed.

The victim "ran away at one point, but she found herself lost with no money and returned," according to a trial memorandum. "When she returned, defendant beat her and whipped her with a belt for leaving."

After the girl was rescued, investigators located six others who had been coerced or physically forced into prostitution by Carter between 2003 and 2010.

During the trial, the jury saw Facebook postings in which Carter described himself as a "cross country pimp" who worked for "Pimpin' International." Jurors also saw photos of tattoos with the "Birdd" moniker that victims were forced to display.

"The evidence at trial showed that Mr. Carter bragged about being a 'pimp,' and that he forced girls through violence and coercion to sell their bodies for his profit," said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. "No child should ever be subjected to this type of exploitation, which will forever haunt them and immeasurably alter their lives. This prosecution demonstrates law enforcement's commitment to combating human trafficking on multiple fronts, including both traffickers like Carter and customers, while supporting the victims of exploitation."

--City News Service, photos courtesy of Homeand Security