The TurnOut

In 2008 while in Pomona, a southern California city of Los Angeles county, Eric was on his way to a local swap-meet when he encountered a young black woman crying at the bus stop across the street from where he was headed. Eric himself was a couple years younger than the woman at 19, her being 23. He asked her what was wrong in a gentle voice, yet the woman did not respond right away. Eric almost walked away, but as a man could not find it in himself to leave a woman's side who was obviously in some kind of emotional turmoil. He again asked her what was wrong and asked if she needed bus money and pulled out a few dollars. This time the woman looked up at him and said she was Ok, but she was still sobbing. Eric sat next to the woman and put an arm around her. She sobbed for a few more moments and then asked him if he lived in the area. He told her he lived in Las Vegas and that he was just visiting. She asked where he was headed just then and he told her the swap-meet across the street. She asked if she could go with him and he said it was cool. So they went to the swap-meet together, Eric actually held her hand as they walked.
Once in the swap-meet they engaged in small talk, Eric learned the woman's name was Rena but she liked to be called Star, and Rena learned Eric just liked being called Eric but would be Ok with just "E". Eric was a window tint installer, and auto detailer, very good at what he did and was naturally a people person. Star said she was an exotic dancer and masseuse. Eric was impressed and told her she chose a wonderful field of work because she's literally paid to make people feel better through sight and touch.
They stayed in the swap-meet for close to an hour while Eric bought a few things to last him while he stayed in California for the next week, and he also bought Star some stuff that she picked out. Two cute outfits and two pair of heels that were on sale for $15 for both pair. Star seemed to be enjoying herself and she could tell Eric enjoyed their time together as well. She decided at that moment that she wanted to be with Eric but did not say anything about her decision at the time. Instead she had to find a way to tell him first that she was really a street prostitute, and the real reason she had been crying when he saw her at the bus stop was because she had just left her abusive pimp. Again. She had already left him twice in the past and vowed to herself this would be the last.
Neither Eric or Star had a vehicle but Eric offered to walk Star home, which much to his surprise turned out to be a hotel in Montclair, a bordering city. So they took the bus. Once there Eric told her he should get back to his family's house before they start getting worried. He had left his phone at the house charging. He and Star exchanged numbers and they parted ways for the night.
The next day Eric woke up to see several missed calls and text messages from Star. In her texting she just said, "top of the morning", and another said, "hope your day is awesome". He text her back and let her know he had just waken up but would hit her again when he was dressed and ready for the day. She replied back and told him to take his time.
As he showered and dressed he couldn't stop thinking about her. He pictured her yellow skin tone, light brown shoulder length wavy hair, small frame, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, no more than 105 pounds, nice shape. Her dark brown eyes enhanced by freshly sculpted eyebrows. He wondered why she even seemed to like him so much, because other than dressing nice, he didn't feel there was anything special about his appearance. 5'7, 150-155 pounds, almond color skin tone, slim build. He was handsome, but just as in he wasn't unattractive.
They met up a few hours later at her hotel. From there they caught two buses to get to Ontario Mills, a mall in the bordering city of Ontario. The plan was just to go to the mall, hangout a while, eat, and then catch a movie later in the evening. Eric only had about two hundred dollars on him and was hoping it would be enough for them to really enjoy the day, just in case Star wanted an outfit or two. While he busy thinking about this he felt a tap on his forearm, she was trying to get his attention and apparently had been trying for a few seconds because she laughed when he looked over and said, "wow, what's on your mind?"
He laughed and then noticed she was holding a stack of hundred dollar bills, gesturing for him to take it. He asked her if she was serious and when she insisted he accept the money he took it. Not knowing it came from prostitution, or even suspecting that it could have.

Some info about Eric before I continue; he had never been in trouble with the law before, graduated college with an AA in math & science, and was studying mechanical engineering at the time he and Star met. He had learned how to work on cars from an early age with his father who owned an auto detailing shop in Las Vegas. He was affiliated with a Las Vegas gang, and although he was a gang member he was not a gang banger. He did not come from a sheltered life by any means, but one thing he was not was a pimp. So he could not read the warning signs.

Star had been involved in prostitution since she was 16, turned out by a man in his 40's who was supposed to be dating her mother. When her mother was killed in a robbery at the convenience store where she worked, the older man told Star he needed her to help with funeral expenses by prostituting. I don't think anyone would have been able to make clear and intelligent decisions in such a time of grief, let alone a 16 year old. So she definitely experienced a mentally and emotionally brutal manipulative entry into the life. That's how it started. That same man was caught transporting minors over state lines in violation of the federal Mann Act, and he was sentenced to 240 months in federal penitentiary. Star was 17 when he got caught, but was in the arms of another pimp within 24 hours of the sentencing. She continued a pattern of bouncing from pimp to pimp until she met her last pimp Fabulous Rick at a truck stop in Fontana when she was 21. He was the second oldest pimp she had ever been with after her turn out (her mother's boyfriend), and she immediately took to him as a father figure. He was also the most abusive pimp she had ever had, subjecting her to beatings with little to no provocation, ice baths, and torture tactics like hanging her out of windows as high as 24 floors up. Once he actually had two men in the room directly below and dropped her. The men caught her, but she had no idea they were there. At that moment she had been psychologically broken. Thoroughly. She left a couple of times only to return shortly each time, welcomed home by a beating on both occasions. This last time would be the last she swore. She had no intentions of leaving the game alone even after all she had been through, but this time she felt that maybe if she had a hand in molding her next pimp from scratch, things would be different. Eric could not have come along at a more perfect time.

As Eric began to count the money, Star stopped him and told him it was $2500 and it was his, just enjoy the day and they would talk about it later if he wanted.
The day went well. On top of doing all they had planned to do at the mall that day, they also both got a few new outfits and some accessories for Star. When they left the mall they caught a taxi to a seafood restaurant not far away and spent almost two hours in there just talking and laughing. Star enjoyed hearing about what Eric considered a boring life, but she felt bad that all of her stories left out the parts where she was paid for sex, replacing those details with massages and dancing.
They head back to Star's room after midnight and she tells Eric he is welcome to stay the night if he wants to. Not wanting to disturb his family so late he accepted the invitation. During the night they made love several times and Star told him she wanted to be with him for real. Eric was single and felt blessed and a little unworthy, but gladly took the opportunity to be with someone so beautiful. She also seemed like a nice person and he still wanted to find out what was bothering when he met her the day before. When he asked she just said it's complicated but that she would tell him soon, she didn't want to ruin the mood. The same was said each time after as well.
They hung out day after day, she even would rent another room on some days for Eric to relax in while she saw her clients in her own room. As far as Eric knew she was either dancing or doing massages. He had no reason to suspect otherwise and never asked. She tried to give him some money but each time he rejected it, which is the only time he would see her in a bad mood for a little bit. What she did ask him to do was get a reloadable credit card from a check cashing place nearby and put the money on there for safekeeping. She would give him the money and he would put it on the card. They did this every 3 days, anywhere from $2000-$4200. He did accept gifts and they went out a lot like a real couple.
Eric decided to stay a full month in California and they planned to go to Las Vegas together afterwards. One day while out walking to the pool hall close to the hotel a blue Dodge Challenger pulls up on Eric, an older man with sunglasses asks if Eric is Star's "new folks". Eric, like many normal Americans thought folks meant family and said yes. Thinking maybe someone had seen them together enough to think they were in a relationship. The older man asked Eric where his phone call was. Eric had no idea what he meant. Normally when one pimp takes a girl from another pimp, the pimp who took the girl will call the ex pimp to let him know the girl chose to be with him, the new pimp. Called a "serving" in pimp terminology.
The older man wanted to know why he hadn't been " served" for Star. Eric told him he didn't know what he meant. The older man told Eric that he was going to "beat the brakes off that bitch when I catch her!" Eric got angry and called the man out for a fight, but he drove off.
Eric went back to his room and text Star to tell her what happened because she was busy at the moment. When she finished with her client she immediately responded and said they needed to talk.
Eric walked out of his room on the way to Star's room when a San Bernardino County Sheriff's vehicle pulled in, followed by several local PD vehicles and unmarked cars. Eric wasn't bothered knowing he had done nothing wrong so he continued to Star's room. As he knocked on her door officers pulled up close and asked him to turn around and place his hands behind his back. He argued why and the officers only continued to order him to comply, offering no explanation why he was apparently under arrest. He was forcefully placed in handcuffs and taken into a local PD SUV. Other officers walked Star to another vehicle. Eric was confused about the whole thing but felt it had something to do with the older guy in the Challenger. He decided to use his right to remain silent.
When he got to the station for booking he saw that the older man was also there in a holding cell already. The older man told Eric, "don't worry youngsta they ain't got nothin on us, our whole operation tight". Keep in mind Eric had never met this man. He said as much but the man continued acting like they knew each other. In an interview room officers told Eric they had been watching the older man whose name was Rick, for about two years. He was going to be indicted for several women. Aside from federal human trafficking charges he faced multiple counts of torture, assaults, kidnappings, and other dangerous crimes. Some against children as young as 14. Some of those children had been around Star. They arrested Rick on a traffic stop to bring an end to their investigation. When Rick was stopped they inquired about the man he was seen talking to near a hotel earlier, referring to Eric. Apparently Rick told the officers Eric was one of his runners. A runner is basically an assistant pimp. They watch the girls, make sure they are safe, and collect money. They are not allowed to be intimate with the girls or violent. Of course Eric was no runner, but as officers explained the situation further and he found out Star was actually a prostitute, the reality set in that he had been watching over prostitution this whole time. Because she was considered a victim they told Star she would not have to testify against the men because they had a confession from one and had enough visual and audio surveillance on Eric to convict him for the minimum of pimping and supervising prostitution. She would only get that deal if she plead guilty to one state charge of endangering the welfare of a minor by aiding in prostitution, a felony, for one of the juveniles in Rick's case. She would receive 3 years probation. She said she would accept that deal, but told them Eric had no idea she was a prostitute. The officers said it didn't matter they had enough evidence to make the case appear any way they wanted to against him. They told her Eric would most likely only do 3 years for his role in pimping her, they weren't buying the story of him being a runner for Rick. Star felt guilty knowing Eric may go to jail when he actually wasn't aware of what was going on so she declined the deal. She said she would testify against Rick and also testify that Eric honestly believed she was a dancer and did massages. Officers then told her that she would be charged in a conspiracy to traffic minors, federal charges. They told her that her credibility would be ruined, and any chance she had of helping Eric would go out the window. They would just paint her as a confused whore torn between loyalty to two pimps. Eric would get just as much time as Rick when they got through with it. They reasoned with her to just let them give Eric the 3 years and move on with her life. She reluctantly agreed.
A few months later Star was sentenced to 3 years probation. Rick took his all the way to trial, which lasted a year, and lost. He was sentenced to a total of 77 years, plus a life sentence. Eric took his to trial believing justice would prevail. He also lost and was sentenced to 8 years on state charges of  pimping and pandering on a minor under 16, by use of force. She was one of the minors from Rick's case also. Eric still doesn't know how they were able to make the evidence so believable. He was also found guilty for pimping Star and sentenced to 6 years. A gang enhancement added another 5 years. Based solely on a tattoo representing a west side Las Vegas gang whose projects were torn down more than ten years ago. Top add insult to injury he was fined half a million dollars total. Mostly for the 16 year whom he had never even met.