A man who knowingly coerced and enticed a teenage girl to engage in commercial sex acts was sentenced in federal court to 15 years in prison.
Kevin Lamont Beal has a long criminal history involving state convictions for primping and pandering from 2012 through 2019, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. District Todd W. Robinson not only imposed the 15-year prison sentence but also ordered Beal to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to pay a $5,000 mandatory penalty assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Acts.
A complaint was filed against Beal in April 2021, charging him with the sex trafficking of underage girls and adult females.
“No city is immune from traffickers seeking to entice and coerce underage and adult victims to engage in sex trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman in a statement. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that we will continue to work together with our local, state, and federal partners to protect our community’s most vulnerable victims from these heinous crimes by prosecuting their traffickers.”
Beal pleaded guilty to federal charges in January 2022. As a part of his plea agreement, Beal admitted to transporting underage girls and women and providing them to customers for commercial sex acts in California and elsewhere from December 2016 through August 2018.
According to prosecutors, Beal used his cellular telephone to entice and coerce an underage girl while she was 16 and 17 years old to have her engage in commercial sex acts and prostitution in San Diego County and elsewhere. He continued to communicate with her by text message and through social media for almost two years as a part of his effort to entice and coerce the underaged girl.
Beal also admitted that he recruited, transported, and provided another underage girl while she was 16 and 17 years old for her engaging in commercial sex acts and prostitution from December 2016 through March 2017.
The U.S. Attorney's office said Beal instructed the underage girl to meet with customers by walking a street known for prostitution activities, commonly referred to as the “blade”. He also posted online advertisements of the underage girl on several websites to solicit her for commercial sex acts.
He also admitted to recruiting, enticing, and transporting an adult female for her to engage in commercial sex acts and prostitution from April 2018 through May 2018. He also instructed her to walk the blade and posted online advertisements.
According to prosecutors, Beal used force against the adult female by striking her several times and causing serious bodily injuries. He admitted to using a combination of force and cooercion to cause the adult female to engage in commercial sex activities.
Beal will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Judge Robinson also ordered the criminal forfeiture of a blue, 2015 Maserati Ghibli, $2,420 in U.S. currency, and other personal luxury items by Gucci and Versace. These personal luxury items were previously ordered as restitution to one of Beal’s trafficking victims in May 2022.
