Long Beach man charged with human trafficking, pimping two women in Orange County

Officials with the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force on Wednesday announced the arrest of a 42-year-old Long Beach man, who has been charged with human trafficking and pimping two women.

On Jan. 24, investigators contacted a woman believed to be a sex worker on Beach Boulevard in Anaheim, authorities said in a news release.

While the woman denied being a victim of pimping or human trafficking and refused any services, investigators, practicing the “Victim Centered Approach,” believed the woman was being exploited and continued to gather evidence.

After a week-long investigation, detectives say they identified Darrell Elder as the person responsible for trafficking the woman, keeping her “working for him through the use of extreme violence over an extended period of time.”

The 42-year-old was arrested and booked at the Anaheim Detention Facility for human trafficking of an adult, as well as pimping a second adult female.

“Under the law, human trafficking is described as depriving or violating the personal liberty of another person with the intent to effect a violation of pimping or pandering. Pimping is described as knowingly deriving financial support in whole or in part from the proceeds of prostitution. Pandering is the act of persuading or procuring an individual to become a prostitute or procuring and/or arranging for a person to work in a house of prostitution,” the release noted.

The Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force includes personnel from Homeland Security Investigations, Anaheim Police Department, Irvine Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

If you, or anyone you know has been a victim of human trafficking, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at (888) 373-7888 or contact your local law enforcement department.

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