A man was arraigned on charges of attempting to traffic and pimp an undercover officer posing as a minor girl on a social media site, authorities said Monday.
Joseph Deandre Edwards, 21, of Anaheim, was arraigned on Friday on a felony count of attempted human trafficking of a minor, one felony count of attempted pimping of a minor, one felony count of attempted pandering by promise or threat and a felony count of pandering by procuring.
If convicted, Edwards could face six years in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex-offender registration. He is being held on $500,000 bail and is scheduled for pre-trial on March 14 at 8:30 a.m. in Department N-12, North Justice Center, Fullerton.
Between December 2015 and March 2016, Edwards is accused of sending an undercover officer, whom he thought was a 17-year-old girl, a friend request on a social media website. He is accused of sending messages attempting to persuade her to work for him by performing a commercial sex act for money, despite his knowledge of her age.
He is accused of arranging on March 2, 2016 to meet with the victim in a location known for prostitution and human trafficking in Orange County, and he was arrested there.
–City News Service