The prosecution and defense both rested Thursday in the trial of a Hemet man accused of posing as a woman on Facebook and soliciting women and teenage girls to engage in sex acts for money, including two Shadow Hills High School students who reported the alleged activities to law enforcement.
Eliberto Cruz Jacobo, 46, is charged with 60 felony counts, including human trafficking of a minor, inducing or persuading a minor to engage in a commercial sex act, statutory rape and possession of child pornography, in connection with illicit photographs, videos and Facebook conversations with seven alleged victims, all minors.
After about two weeks of testimony, the prosecution and defense both rested and attorneys gave their closing arguments Thursday. Jurors will begin deliberating Jacobo’s fate Monday morning.
Jacobo is accused of posing as “Marlissa Garcia” on Facebook and having conversations with numerous women and teenage girls ranging in age from 14 to 31, suggesting they could make money as escorts.
According to Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao, “Marlissa Garcia” would continue to recommend that the victims pursue prostitution, even if they said they were minors.
“There was no miscommunication between `Marlissa Garcia’ and the girls in regards to what they would be doing to make money,” Paixao said in her opening statement. “(Jacobo) actively tried to recruit young minors to engage in prostitution.”
Prosecutors allege some of the victims did end up engaging in prostitution with a client known as “Robert,” later identified as Jacobo.
Sheriff’s deputies tracked the messages from “Marlissa Garcia” to an IP address at the defendant’s home, where deputies found photos and videos on his computer of minors allegedly engaged in sex acts with Jacobo. Some of the juveniles also pointed “Robert” out to detectives when shown a photographic lineup of suspects, according to the prosecution.
According to a prosecutor’s trial brief, “Marlissa Garcia” was first brought to the attention of law enforcement in November 2014 by two students at Indio’s Shadow Hills High following a school presentation on human trafficking. The girls told deputies that “Marlissa Garcia” had worked to recruit them on Facebook for prostitution.
Jacobo was taken into custody in early 2015 and is being held at the Riverside County jail in Indio in lieu of $2 million bail.
— City News Service