A 47-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison for human trafficking of a 17-year-old girl in Anaheim.<\/p>\n
Anaheim Police Department officers responded to a report of an underage prostitute about 9:15 p.m. May 30 at the Moonlight Motel on Beach Boulevard, prosecutors said in a trial brief. The victim told police she had been working as a prostitute \u201cfor the past few days under a new pimp,\u201d prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
They said Donald Leonidas Newton III approached the victim, who had been working as a prostitute in San Diego, several times before persuading her to go with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point that day, defendant became irritated with victim for not listening to him and attempted to \u2018pistol-whip\u2019 her leg with a handgun, but missed,\u201d prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
During the trial, the victim testified that Newton pointed a gun at the victim\u2019s head and threatened her with it instead of attempting to pistol-whip her.<\/p>\n
When Newton left her alone later, she called her mother and police, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
Newton\u2019s attorney, Vu Tran, said in a sentencing brief that the victim \u201chad been working as a prostitute for a few years prior to meeting Mr. Newton.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newton met her in San Diego, Tran said.<\/p>\n
The victim and her friend \u201cwere having problems with their pimp, so they decided to go with Mr. Newton and his friend \u2018Money\u2019 in a Tesla that Money was driving,\u201d Tran said.<\/p>\n
The victim \u201cdid not end up going on any dates in Orange County before she decided to call police later that same night,\u201d Tran said.<\/p>\n
A gun found in their motel room belonged to the victim\u2019s friend, Tran said.<\/p>\n
Tran said the victim \u201clied\u201d about her age to Newton.<\/p>\n
The defense requested a 5-year sentence.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said the victim \u201ccompleted one commercial sex date in Pomona for $40, giving it all to (the) defendant.\u201d<\/p>\n
While they were in Pomona, Newton saw the victim \u201ctalking to his friend \u2026 and disciplined victim by strangling her with his hand,\u201d Orange County Deputy District Attorney James Voge said in a sentencing brief.<\/p>\n
When the two relocated to the motel in Anaheim, they smoked marijuana together and had sex, Voge said.<\/p>\n
Newton was convicted Oct. 30 of human trafficking of a minor, pimping a minor over the age of 16, pandering with a minor older than 16, possession of a gun by a felon and a prohibited person owning ammunition, all felonies. Jurors also found true sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a gun.<\/p>\n
Newton has a criminal history dating back to 1996 \u201cwith convictions spanning multiple states,\u201d Voge said.<\/p>\n
Those convictions include drugs, vehicle offenses, aggravated assault attempted pandering, Voge said.<\/p>\n
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