A Compton woman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges of forcing two teenagers to engage in sexual activity for money.
Daisy Pollard-Gilliam, 41, and her 24-year-old son Reuben Gilliam were charged in an indictment last week with a single count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Pollard- Gilliam was additionally charged with a single count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Reuben Gilliam is already in state custody on unrelated charges and will be transferred to federal custody in the coming weeks. Pollard-Gilliam was arrested April 24 and ordered jailed without bail.
A tentative trial date of July 1 in Los Angeles federal court was set Tuesday at Pollard-Gilliam's arraignment.
According to prosecutors, the two 13-year-old alleged victims in the case were walking in Bell Gardens around 2 a.m. on June 3, 2023, when a vehicle with Gilliam and two other men pulled alongside them, and one of the occupants ordered the teens to get in. The teens were then taken to a home in Lynwood.
Prosecutors contend that over the next week, the victims were forced to engage in sex acts with both defendants and other "customers," at least one of whom claimed to have paid the defendants $100 to have sex with the teens.
The teens were also directed to pose for provocative photos wearing lingerie that were used to advertise the commercial sex operation, prosecutors said.
After several nights at the Lynwood location, the defendants saw social media posts about missing children that depicted the two victims and described them as being only 13 years old, prosecutors said, adding that at that point the victims were moved out of Lynwood.
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Law enforcement officials found the teens on June 9, 2023, in a recreational vehicle in Gardena, prosecutors said. Investigators also allegedly recovered clothing, shoes, eyewear and a cell phone that was allegedly given to the teens by the suspects.
Pollard-Gilliam also allegedly distributed photos and videos of the victims to an inmate at Kern Valley State Prison, prosecutors said, while Reuben Gilliam allegedly communicated on Instagram with other users about his trafficking of the two victims.
The weapons charge against Pollard-Gilliam stems from April of this year, when she allegedly possessed a semi-automatic pistol and 25 rounds of ammunition, despite being prohibited from doing so due to a 2021 conviction for child abandonment.
Both defendants face possible life prison sentences if convicted as charged, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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