A man was sentenced to prison Friday for trafficking two underage victims throughout Los Angeles and others areas around the state.
Kai Jones, whose age and hometown were not immediately available, was sentenced to eight years in state prison for human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of the two minors, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said.
Jones operated in Los Angeles, Alameda, Monterey, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties in 2022.
Bonta said Jones lured his victims with promises of protection and a bright future in exchange for the money they received from performing commercial sex acts.
Jones was charged and pleaded guilty in February. Bonta said that between June 1 and Oct. 10, 2022, Jones trafficked the minors and financially benefited from sexually exploiting them.
“This sentence proves that combating the trafficking and exploitation of children remains an utmost priority for my team and me at the California Department of Justice,” Bonta said in a statement. “Crimes against children will never be tolerated in California, and I remain dedicated to prosecuting perpetrators of child exploitation. I am grateful for the hard work of my team — both in the field and in the courtroom — that made securing an eight-year prison sentence for the perpetrator in this case possible.”
Jones was already in custody on an unrelated attempted murder charge when he was charged last year with seven felonies.
Those charges include human trafficking of a minor, pimping of a minor, and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He also was charged with one count of pandering after he reached out to an undercover officer through social media in November 2023, in an attempt to persuade the undercover officer to become a prostitute, Bonta said Friday.