A North Hills woman was sentenced Friday to six years in federal prison for sex trafficking a 12- to 13-year-old girl while working as a prostitute in Los Angeles — activity that was photographed and widely circulated online by child pornography rings.
Letha Montemayor Tucker, 53, signed a plea deal with federal prosecutors Oct. 1 and officially entered her guilty plea Oct. 20 before U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney in Santa Ana.
The judge noted that Tucker, who was brought to court in a wheelchair, could have faced between 10 to 12 1/2 years behind bars. But he said she deserved lesser punishment because she suffered years of physical and sexual abuse and has struggled with drug addiction.
“It goes without saying that I believe the crime committed here was a terrible and horrific one,” Carney said. “But I was quite disturbed by Ms. Tucker’s life. The only thing more horrific than the crime is the years of physical and sexual abuse and neglect she’s been subjected to in her life.”
The judge said the victim in the case has suffered “irreparable, devastating harm.”
“As long as (the pornographic video of the victim) continues to be viewed and distributed by sick individuals, she will continue to be victimized for the rest of her life,” Carney said.
Tucker cried throughout the proceedings, particularly when Carney referred to her troubled life. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, is bipolar and has a host of other physical health issues, he said.
The judge said Tucker’s behavior at the time of the crime was “due in part to drug addiction,” with which she continues to struggle. But Carney said he found signs of “hope” for the defendant because she is now married and has tried to reunite with her children.
Tucker, who used the nickname “Butterfly,” was working as a prostitute in a Los Angeles motel in 2000-01 when she met the victim, who was also residing at the inn. Tucker knew how young the girl was, but they still “shared crack cocaine … and they would often smoke together,” according to the plea agreement.
Tucker would bring men who solicited her for prostitution to her room while the girl was there, and the “johns would engage in sexual activity with the victim, in exchange for money paid to defendant,” according to court papers.
At least twice, Tucker lined up men to have sex with the victim, according to prosecutors, who said both were typically high on drugs when they engaged in the prostitution.
According to the plea deal, one unidentified man took photographs of the girl engaged in sex acts with the defendant and the man and, “unbeknownst to defendant, these images were later posted on the Internet with John Doe’s face blacked out, but with defendant and victim’s faces left unredacted. These photos have subsequently been widely traded by individuals who collect child pornography, and been seized by law enforcement from computers outside the state of California.”
Tucker must register as a sex offender, enroll in a psychiatric program, submit to regular drug tests, refrain from possessing pornography, keep at least 100 feet away from areas where children congregate, and cannot have any contact with a child without approval of a parent with knowledge of her crime. Her computer usage will be monitored by probation officers.
Tucker’s arrest in January of last year came shortly after authorities asked for the public’s help identifying the people seen in the pornographic photos — known in law enforcement circles as the “Jen series.”
— City News Service