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Press Release

Antioch Man Sentenced to over 19 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking of Minors at the Bakersfield Desert Star Motel

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California

FRESNO, Calif. — Darnell Bernard Edwards, 33, of Antioch, was sentenced today to 19 years and seven months in prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release for the sex trafficking of two minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in April and May 2019, Edwards transported two minors to the Desert Star Motel in Bakersfield and had them engage in prostitution. Edwards also transported the minors to other locations within California, supplied them with marijuana, and all three had the letter D and a crown tattooed on their bodies.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bakersfield Police Department with assistance from the Antioch Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gappa prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.

Updated May 1, 2023

Topic
Project Safe Childhood