Three felons from the Los Angeles area pleaded not guilty Monday to multiple federal charges stemming from the alleged production of child pornography involving a 15-year-old girl.
Darrius “Biz” Marques Sutton, 25, of Compton; Darius Dajohn Burks, 26, of Los Angeles; and Edwin Donnell Franklin, 28, of Bellflower, entered their pleas before U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr.
Burks’ 31-year-old brother, Leprinceton “Dapper P” Burks of Carson — who also uses the name “Pete Williams — is also charged in the case and is considered a fugitive, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
At a hearing Friday, a magistrate judge set bond at $100,000 for both Sutton and Franklin, but delayed the order for a week to give prosecutors a chance to appeal.
A detention hearing for Darius Burks is set for Sept. 9, and an Oct. 20 trial is scheduled for all the defendants.
An indictment filed last week in Los Angeles federal court alleges four counts of conspiracy to produce child pornography and a dozen counts of production of production of child porn. The charges relate to incidents in July and August 2011 in which:
— Sutton and Franklin allegedly “directed” and engaged in sex acts with the victim that were recorded;
— the four men allegedly filmed the victim participating in various sex acts;
— Sutton and Darius Burks allegedly filmed “themselves and each other performing sexual acts on (the) intoxicated and unconscious (victim),” which included an act that involved an empty liquor bottle; and
— the four allegedly produced child pornography by filming sexually explicit conduct involving the victim.
The child porn charges alleged in the first 16 counts of the indictment each carry a mandatory penalty of no less than 15 years in federal prison.
In addition, Sutton and Leprinceton Burks are each charged with one count of possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a potential penalty of 10 years in prison.
The indictment follows state court prosecution of the men, who were convicted of charges that included conspiracy to commit human trafficking, conspiracy to pimp a minor, sexually assaulting an unconscious victim and statutory rape.
They previously received — and completed — sentences of up to four years and four months in state prison, federal prosecutors said.
In the previous case, the men were prosecuted for transporting minors from the Inland Empire to Long Beach to work as prostitutes in North Hollywood.
At the time, police described Sutton and the Burks brothers as East Coast Crips gang members.
— City News Service