Vigorous and sustained efforts this year have led to more than 10 cases filed by LADA against 18 individuals involving commercial sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, pimping, and pandering.
August 16, 2025 – LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman commends the outstanding work of the 
U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Los Angeles Police Department, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies in securing a federal 31-count indictment against six members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Hoover Criminal Gang. The defendants were charged with racketeering conspiracy, including sex trafficking of children and adults through force, fraud, or coercion on the Figueroa Corridor of Los Angeles.
In January 2025, District Attorney Hochman was joined by the Acting U.S. Attorney, Los Angeles City Attorney, Long Beach City Attorney, and the Los Angeles Police Department to spotlight the combined efforts of local law enforcement and prosecutors addressing the urgent issue of sex trafficking in Los Angeles County. He specifically acknowledged the Los Angeles Police Department South Bureau Human Trafficking Task Force and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force for their work in this effort.
“I strongly applaud the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department for their critical work dismantling this heinous sex trafficking operation in South Los Angeles and bringing these predators to justice,” District Attorney Hochman said. “The individuals being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office preyed on some of the most vulnerable in our community, including children. Far too often, we see countless people become victims at the hands of this multi-billion-dollar business that is nothing short of modern-day slavery. My office’s Sex Crimes Division’s Human Sex Trafficking Section is committed to continuing this important work in partnership with law enforcement and the federal authorities with the clear message that we will not tolerate exploitation and dehumanization. For those operating in the sex trafficking industry in Los Angeles County, please know: We are coming for you.”
In January, District Attorney Hochman announced several cases the office was prosecuting including:
- Derran Adkins (27) is charged in case 25CJCF00109 filed on January 7 with one felony count each of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act by force, fear, fraud, or threat of injury, and human trafficking of an adult. He also faces allegations of personal infliction of great bodily injury during the commission of these offenses. He faces a third strike sentence on the current charges based on his prior felony convictions. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled September 24 in Department 31 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
The defendant’s alleged crimes occurred between November 4, 2024, and January 3, 2025. Some of the alleged conduct occurred in the Figueroa Corridor. If convicted as charged, he faces 70 years to life, plus 20 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department’s South Bureau Human Trafficking Task Force.
- Fabian Gilbert (21) is charged in case 24CMCF02114 filed on December 31, 2024, with one felony count of pandering and one count of felony possession of a firearm by a felon. He faces a special allegation of committing a new felony offense while out on bail. A pretrial conference is scheduled for September 5 in Department Q of the Compton Courthouse.
On December 27, 2024, Gilbert is accused of commercial sex activity along the Figueroa Corridor. If convicted as charged, Gilbert faces eight years and eight months in prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Cindy Alvarado Vilela and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Additional cases that the office has filed since January include:
- Christopher Marcel Gardner (34) and Bryan Lamont Peete (32) are charged in case 25CJCF00808 filed on Feb. 14 with two felony counts each of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act. The defendants have a pretrial conference scheduled for September 4 in Department 131 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. They are currently awaiting jury trial.
The defendants are accused of sexually exploiting two underage victims, 15 and 17 years old, in the Figueroa Corridor. If convicted as charged, Gardner faces over 14 years in state prison and Peete faces over 29 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai and was investigated by the Downey Police Department.
- Jayde Noel Becerra (19) and Caelan Myles Wilkerson (20) are charged in case 25CJCF01551 filed on March 24. Becerra and Wilkerson are charged with three felony counts of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act. Becerra is further charged with one felony count each of pandering an adult and carrying an unregistered loaded handgun on one’s person or in a vehicle. Wilkerson is charged with three felony counts of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act. Both are scheduled for a preliminary hearing setting on August 21 in Department 31 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
The defendants are accused of working together to traffic multiple underage victims ranging from 14 to 17 years old in the Figueroa Corridor. If convicted as charged, Becerra faces over 19 years in state prison and Wilkerson faces over 14 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai and was investigated by the Los Angeles County Regional Human Trafficking Task Force.
- Julian Alexander Montez (22) is charged in case 25CJCF01973 filed on April 11 with two felony counts of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing setting on Aug. 29 in Department 41 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Montez is accused of trafficking two underage victims, 16 and 17 years old, in the Figueroa Corridor. If convicted as charged, Montez faces over 14 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
- Floyd Weathersby (25) is charged in case 25CJCF02508 filed on May 6 with one felony count of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled Sept. 3 in Department 32 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Weathersby is accused of sexually exploiting a 17-year-old victim in the Figueroa Corridor in 2024. If convicted as charged, Weathersby faces 12 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Destiny Ramsey and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
- Rafael Soto (29) is charged in case 25CJCF02557 filed on May 8 with one felony count of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 21 in Department 37 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Soto is accused of sexually exploiting an underage female in the Figueroa Corridor. If convicted as charged, Soto faces 12 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Destiny Ramsey and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
- Tydavien Carpenter (20) is charged in case 25CJCF03405 filed on June 9 with one felony count of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act, and two felony counts of pimping an adult. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for August 26 in Department 35 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Carpenter is accused of sexually exploiting a 17-year-old girl in the Figueroa Corridor. If convicted as charged, Carpenter faces over 13 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department’s South Bureau Human Trafficking Task Force.
- Jacquin Fitzgeral Goss (39) is charged in case 25CJCF04431 filed on July 23 with one felony count each of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act, and lewd act upon a child age 14 or 15. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled Oct. 1 in Department 31 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Fitzgeral Goss is accused of sexually exploiting a young girl in the Figueroa Corridor and sexually assaulting her. If convicted as charged, Fitzgeral Goss faces over 12 years in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Destiny Ramsey and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
- Jahlil Malk McKissack (32) is charged in case 25CJCF04762 filed on August 5 with one felony count each of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act by force, fear, fraud, or threat of injury, lewd act upon a child age 14 or 15, and human trafficking of an adult. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 18 in Department 32 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
McKissack allegedly transported two females, ages 14 and 21, from Texas to California where he sex-trafficked them in various areas including the Figueroa Corridor. He also is accused of sexually assaulting the 14-year-old victim. If convicted as charged, McKissack faces life in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
- On April 17, William Dixon was convicted in case 24CJCF07424 of one felony count of human trafficking of a minor for a commercial sex act and was sentenced to five years in state prison. Dixon met a 16-year-old female on social media and convinced her to take a bus from Ohio to Los Angeles to meet him. Shortly after meeting Dixon, the victim began working as a sex worker in the Figueroa Corridor and was trafficked for about three months until she was rescued by law enforcement.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai and investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
“I want to thank the Deputy District Attorneys who work tirelessly to build and prosecute these complex and traumatic cases. Their relentlessness and dedication as they pursue justice are essential in protecting these survivors and bringing traffickers to justice,” District Attorney Hochman added.
To learn more about other recently completed LADA sex trafficking cases, visit: https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/district-attorney-hochman-announces-felony-charges-commercial-sexual-exploitation-crimes.
The charges filed in this case are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Source: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
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