LOS ANGELES—A South Los Angeles man was sentenced Dec. 7 to life in federal prison for recruiting and enticing teenage girls to work for him as prostitutes.
Donavin Bradford, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who described the defendant’s actions as “inexcusable” and “horrific.”
The judge also ordered Mr. Bradford to pay $67,000 in restitution and an additional $900 in special assessments, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Bradford was found guilty in April of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for the purpose of producing a sexually explicit visual depiction, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of sex trafficking through threats of force, fraud, or coercion.
From the summer of 2021 to February 2022, Mr. Bradford conspired with Layla Valdivia, 24, of Ventura, to cause one of the minor victims—a then-15-year-old girl—to be used for prostitution. As the victim’s pimp, Mr. Bradford expected the girl to earn $1,000 per night and give it to him.
Mr. Bradford and Ms. Valdivia advertised the girl for commercial sex work on various websites, and “johns” who responded to the ads were directed to various hotels and motels, where they engaged in paid sex acts with the victim. Sometimes the girl would be required to perform sex acts with Ms. Valdivia and a client together, prosecutors said.
Mr. Bradford assaulted the girl when she tried to stop working for him on two occasions. He also recorded himself engaging in sex acts on two occasions with her, according to evidence presented during his five-day jury trial in Los Angeles federal court.
From March 2021 to November 2021, Mr. Bradford recruited two other girls—ages 16 and 17—to engage in commercial sex activity. Mr. Bradford also found and sex trafficked an adult victim through threats of force, fraud, or coercion, including multiple instances of violence.
Ms. Valdivia pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking of a minor. She was sentenced in September to two years behind bars.
