The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A Los Angeles man with a YouTube rap career is facing felony charges due to accusations that he was pimping an 18-year-old Orange County woman.
The Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force recently received notification from a young woman’s family regarding their concerns that their relative was being forced into prostitution.
The suspect believed to be responsible for the girl’s sex work, 31-year-old Angel Ortiz Diamond, uses the professional stage name “Benjiboy Staccs” in his music career.
Diamond has been performing and releasing his rap music on his YouTube channel for several years. The lyrics of several of Diamond’s songs revolve around money, pimping, and prostitution.
The investigators working on the case have purported that while he was at a nightclub in Artesia, Diamond made the acquaintance of the young woman who was the reported victim of human trafficking that he orchestrated.
The authorities also have suspicions that Diamond may have other women working for him in this capacity, and that he used the attention gathered through his rap career to entice the alleged victims into the sex trade.
On June 10, Diamond was taken into custody and booked into the Orange County Jail. He is being charged with one count of felony pimping, and one count of felony pandering, for the accusations against him regarding the woman.
At his pretrial hearing, Diamond answered to the charges by entering a plea of not guilty. He was returned to jail in lieu of bail.
The authorities believe that since Diamond’s songs contain lyrics such as, “All I want to do is pimp. Pimp, pimp, pimp, pimp,” they may be able to apply them to the current allegations against the rapper.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a sex crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.