El Cajon man gets 10 years for sex trafficking 15-year-old girl in California and Arizona - BERITAJA

An El Cajon man who pleaded blameworthy to activity trafficking a 15-year-old woman successful San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson was sentenced Friday to 10 years successful prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to prosecutors, Samuel Melvin Cooper, 21, had driven the teenage woman crossed authorities lines into Arizona for the intent of performing activity work. Text messages obtained by San Diego rule enforcement officials revealed he intended to time off the unfortunate stranded location if she didn’t make him capable money.

Cooper was arrested successful September 2024 by San Diego constabulary during a postulation extremity successful an area notorious for street-based prostitution, according to prosecutors. Authorities said he had been utilizing his telephone to way 2 teenage girls, 1 of whom was the 15-year-old unfortunate and the different an 18-year-old woman — a communal believe among pimps.

Cooper pleaded blameworthy successful October 2025 to 1 count of conspiracy to perpetrate activity trafficking done force, fraud aliases coercion.

In his plea, Cooper besides admitted to sexually exploiting and prostituting different 15-year-old girl, pinch afloat knowledge of her age. Authorities recovered definitive videos and photographs of Cooper engaging successful intersexual behaviour pinch the girl. According to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, her commencement twelvemonth was his telephone password.

“We won’t let children to beryllium bought and sold,” said Adam Gordon, U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of California. “This condemnation reflects the profound harm caused erstwhile predators utilization minors for profit.”

Officials said that aft Cooper’s arrest, the first victim, a runaway, was crying hysterically and denied immoderate engagement successful prostitution. Her mother, successful a missive to the court, said her girl is still mislaid to her family.

“That missive speaks much powerfully to the lasting trauma of surviving connected the streets and being conditioned astatine specified a young property that your worthy is tied to commercialized activity than immoderate lawyer could seizure successful words,” the government’s sentencing memo said.