(Woodland, CA) – August 13, 2020 – On August 7, 2020, the Honorable Paul Richardson of the Yolo County Superior Court sentenced a 41-year-old West Sacramento man, Ray Lawler Jr., to 10 years in state prison after his conviction for pimping and pandering multiple victims.
In May of 2019, correctional staff at the Yolo County Jail advised the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Unit that Lawler Jr., an inmate at the Yolo County Jail, was possibly engaged in pimping and pandering while serving a sentence for a parole violation. District Attorney Investigators began reviewing Lawler Jr’s communications from jail and found that he was directing an adult victim residing in Texas on how to post to escort websites, advising prices for commercial sex acts, demanding she continue to engage in commercial sex acts when she said she did not want to, and then requesting she put money on Lawler Jr’s jail commissary account.
Yolo County District Attorney Investigators arrested Lawler Jr. for pimping and pandering on June 27, 2019. Investigators from the District Attorney’s Office continued the extensive investigation discovering evidence that Lawler Jr. had been involved in pandering other adult victims in Yolo County and surrounding counties since 2017 while on parole. Through this investigation several victims were identified and large amount of evidence was accumulated.
On July 10, 2020, Ray Lawler Jr. pleaded no contest to one charge of pimping, one charge of pandering, one charge of attempted pandering and admitted a prior strike offense.
Without the dedication and attention to detail of the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Officer taking action and making a report, Ray Lawler Jr. would have served his parole violation and been released to continue his crimes with his current victim. The Yolo County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit works closely with all local law enforcement agencies like the Sheriff’s Office and conducts training for officers on how to detect and report human trafficking, even suspects committing the crime while incarcerated.
Human Trafficking is a multi-million-dollar a year enterprise that preys on the innocence and vulnerability of both female and male victims. The Yolo County District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit is working tirelessly to apprehend suspects as well as help victims of this heinous crime. The Unit also provides trainings for educators, non-profits, and community members to help educate the public about the dangers of human trafficking in our area and how to detect and report suspicious activity. If you see or hear something suspicious and are concerned please report human trafficking to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office at: 530-666-8180 or email district.attorney@yolocounty.org. For more information on human trafficking visit the DA’s website at https://yoloda.org/human-trafficking-unit/ or for resources https://humantraffickinghotline.org/, https://polarisproject.org/, and https://victimconnect.org/learn/types-of-crime/human-trafficking/.
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