Five Month Long Investigation Leads To Two Pimping Convictions NR14337sm

September 11, 2014

Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department, Human Trafficking Unit, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Innocence Lost Task Force, concluded a 5 month pimping investigation that resulted in two felony convictions.

Robert Stacy Beverly and Juan Carlos Cruz Lopez pled guilty to one count of Pimping.

In June of 2014, Robert Stacy Beverly, was arraigned on charges of pimping and pandering an 18-year-old female victim by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

In July of 2014, defendant Juan Carlos Cruz Lopez appeared at the Los Angeles Superior Court and was formally arraigned on the same charges as Robert Stacy Beverly.

Both defendants are currently in custody pending a preliminary hearing.

During the five-month investigation, detectives utilized investigative resources that determined that both defendants employed social media websites to lure the victim into commercial sexual exploitation.  The defendants encouraged, facilitated, and benefitted from the sexual exploitation of the victim in the Los Angeles area and possibly other states.

Information discovered during the investigation suggests that there may be additional victims that had contact with Beverly and Cruz Lopez through various social media websites for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.   Beverly and Cruz Lopez may have had contact with potential victims in California, Nevada, Florida, New Jersey, and Hawaii.

Anyone with information on this crime or any other crimes related to Human Trafficking, Pimping, and Pandering are asked to contact Lieutenant Andre Dawson from the LAPD Human Trafficking Unit at (213) 486-0903.  During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).

Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.