VENTURA, California — In a significant legal development, a California man, Donavin Dwayne Bradford, 32, of South Los Angeles, has been sentenced to life in prison for sex trafficking on Thursday, December 21, for his involvement in “recruiting and enticing” teenage girls, acting as their pimp, and subjecting them to sex work, as announced by the Department of Justice.
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt condemned Bradford’s actions as “inexcusable” and “horrific.” The judge further ordered Bradford to pay over $67,000 in sex traffic restitution fees, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California.
Bradford, along with co-conspirator Layla Kalani Valdivia, 24, of Ventura, California, has been in federal custody since August of the previous year. Valdivia had previously pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. Both individuals were apprehended as part of the FBI’s “Operation Cross Country,” which aimed to combat human trafficking and led to the rescue of 200 trafficked individuals nationwide.
Read more: Who Is At Risk For Sex Trafficking?
Following a five-day trial, a jury in April found Bradford guilty on multiple charges, including three counts of sex trafficking of underage girls, sex trafficking through threats of force, fraud, or coercion, sexual exploitation of a minor, producing sexually explicit visuals, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking with a minor, and possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors revealed that Bradford used intimidation tactics, including references to gang membership, physical violence, and destruction of property, to control his victims. He filmed sexual acts with the girls, took their money – including financial aid from school – and maintained a grip on them through fear.
The victims, aged 15 to 17, were subjected to sex trafficking between the summer of 2021 and February 2022. Bradford and Valdivia conspired to sex traffic a 15-year-old girl, expecting her to earn $1,000 nightly in exchange for clothes and shelter. Additionally, they advertised underage girls on various websites, directing customers to hotels and motels for commercial sex acts.
Customers paid Bradford directly for encounters with the girls, and he assaulted the 15-year-old victim when she attempted to escape him. The investigation revealed a disturbing pattern of abuse, violence, and exploitation orchestrated by Bradford and Valdivia.
