Man pleads guilty to human trafficking in Central Coast
Bakersfield resident Marcale Emon Alexander, accused of trafficking numerous young girls and women including in Santa Maria, pled guilty to human trafficking charges.
The 34-year-old was sentenced to 19 years and 8 months in state prison. The judge also ordered Alexander to register as a sex offender as part of his sentence.
“Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 will forever be impacted by the heinous actions of Defendant Alexander. With this plea and sentence, they have a sense of closure. Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 can now focus on their healing, so that they can move from victim to survivor,” said Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Karapetian.
Alexander pled guilty to the following violations:
Penal Code section 236.1(c)(1), for trafficking a sixteen-year-old minor, Jane Doe 1, Penal Code section 236.1(b) for trafficking a nineteen-year-old girl, Jane Doe 2. Alexander also pled guilty to two “strikes”; violations of Penal Code section 136.1(c)(1), for attempting to dissuade the victims from reporting the crime.
In July 2014, Alexander forced Jane Doe 1 to prostitute herself in various cities from Salinas to Santa Maria after meeting her in the latter, according to prosecutors. Jane Doe 1 was later allowed to return home in San Luis Obispo.
In February 2015, Alexander recruited an accomplice by the name of Brianna Shawntay Jackson-Robinson, who was 18 at the time. Prosecutors say Jackson-Robinson played a key role in luring Jane Doe 2 from the Bay Area to Bakersfield where she was forced to prostitute herself.
For over two weeks, Jane Doe 2 prostituted herself in Bakersfield, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo and Salinas–all orchestrated by Alexander and Jackson-Robinson.
Jane Doe 2 finally escaped when she contacted authorities. Jackson-Robinson pled guilty to pandering Jane Doe 2 on August 2015 and sentenced to three years in state prison.
Alexander was eventually arrested in Las Vegas in October 2015 and extradited to California.
Prosecutors say that if Alexander commits any additional “strikes” in the future, he will be facing a 25-years-to-Life sentence.
“Our community continues to be shocked that Human Trafficking occurs in Santa Barbara County. This case is yet another tragic illustration of the fact that human trafficking does occur here, and that it will be rigorously investigated and vigorously prosecuted,” said Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley in a statement.
