May 9, 2024 - LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury has returned a six-count indictment against a Compton mother and son for allegedly forcing two 13-year-old victims to engage in sexual activity for money, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday.

Daisy Pollard-Gilliam, 41, a.k.a. “Queen,” and her son, Reuben Gilliam, 24, a.k.a. “Tre,” are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Reuben Gilliam also is charged with one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. Daisy Pollard-Gilliam also is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Reuben Gilliam is in state custody on unrelated charges and is expected to be transferred over to federal custody in the coming weeks. Daisy Pollard-Gilliam was arrested on April 24 and a federal magistrate judge ordered her jailed without bond. Her arraignment is scheduled for May 14 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

According to court documents, the victims were walking down a street in Bell Gardens at approximately 2 a.m. on June 3, 2023, when a vehicle containing three men – including Reuben Gilliam – stopped next to them. One of the men exited the vehicle and told the minor victims to get in. The victims were then driven to a residence in Lynwood.

Throughout the next week, both victims were required to engage in sexual activity with Reuben Gilliam, Daisy Pollard-Gilliam and unidentified commercial sex customers to make money, the indictment alleges. The customers told one victim that they paid $100 to have sexual intercourse with her and the defendants collected the cash after the customer had sex with the victims, according to court documents.  The defendants allegedly also directed the victims to dress in lingerie and pose for pictures to be used to advertise commercial sex.

After spending a few nights at the Lynwood residence, the defendants allegedly saw missing children’s flyers in circulation on social media – identifying both victims as 13 years old – seeking the minor victims’ whereabouts. The victims were then transferred to different locations in Los Angeles County.

On the evening of June 9, 2023, law enforcement officials rescued the victims from a recreational vehicle in Gardena. Among the items law enforcement seized during the rescue were clothing, shoes, eyewear, and one cellphone that the suspects allegedly gave the victims so they could call the suspects if they were in trouble. The victims allegedly used the cellphone to text and call Daisy Pollard-Gilliam on multiple occasions.

On June 6, 2023, Daisy Pollard-Gilliam distributed images and videos of the victims to an inmate at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, according to court documents. A review of Reuben Gilliam’s Instagram account made pursuant to a search warrant revealed that on June 4, 2023, he communicated with other Instagram users regarding his commercial sex trafficking of the two victims, according to court documents.

In April 2024, Pollard-Gilliam allegedly possessed a semi-automatic pistol and 25 rounds of ammunition. She is permitted to possess neither because of her felony conviction in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021 for child abandonment.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

If convicted, the defendants would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Damaris Diaz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Angela C. Makabali of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.

Any member of the public who has information related to child sex crimes is encouraged to call the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565 or report tips online at https://tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release