Task Force Investigation Leads to Arrest of Inland Empire Couple for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

RIVERSIDE, CA—Following an investigation by joint Inland Empire task forces, two Inland Empire residents have been arrested on charges of sex trafficking of a minor and are expected to be in Riverside federal court this afternoon for their initial appearances.

Nekeyia Weatherspoon, 22, of Perris, and Kawaum Scott, 24, of Quail Valley, were both arrested yesterday afternoon after they were named in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court. That complaint was unsealed earlier today. The investigation, which was initiated by officers with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, was conducted jointly with the FBI and with the support of multiple agencies working jointly under the auspices of the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT) and the Inland Child Exploitation Task Force (ICEP).

According to the complaint, a 14-year-old victim, identified in court papers only as CV, was forced into prostitution by Scott and Weatherspoon, who were neighbors and who allegedly took all the money she received for the sex acts performed while she was being forced to work as a prostitute. The affidavit in support of the complaint further alleges the defendants took photographs of CV and used them to advertise sexual services on the Internet. The defendants allegedly drove the victim to various destinations to engage in prostitution, made her use an alias, and advised her to tell male customers that she was 18 years old.

On one occasion in October 2012, the defendants allegedly brought the victim to a motel in Riverside County, where she engaged in sex with multiple men over a two-day period and received approximately $2,500 in payment, all of which the victim gave to the defendants, according to the complaint.

If convicted of the charge in the complaint, the defendants each would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a statutory maximum penalty of life.

The defendants will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in Riverside. The member agencies whose officers and agents participate on the Inland Empire Child Exploitation and Prostitution Task Force (ICEP) include: the Ontario Police Department; the Pomona Police Department; the Riverside Police Department; the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department; the San Bernardino Police Department; and the FBI. The task force investigates matters of child exploitation, primarily the sexual trafficking of minors.

Multiple agencies participate on the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT), including the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department; the United States Attorney’s Office; the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office; the FBI; and other agencies, including various non-governmental organizations.

A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.

Media Contact:

• FBI Press Relations: 310 996-3343
• Assistant United States Attorney, Thomas Stout: 951-276-6938