A Gilroy man accused of luring a 13-year-old runaway girl into a life of “turning tricks” was more agitated Tuesday by a judge’s mispronunciation of his name, rather than a slew of felony charges that include pimping, committing lewd acts with a child and human trafficking.
“That’s not correct,” asserted a visibly annoyed Yahya Abdul Malik, 22, after Judge Alfonso Fernandez apparently read it incorrectly a number of times during a hearing at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill.
The arrest of Yahya and three other suspects follows an investigation by the Gilroy Police Department into the whereabouts of the girl, who was reported as a runaway by her mother Jan. 14.
Two days later, the search led authorities to the Travel Inn at 5530 Monterey Road. They not only found the missing girl, but uncovered an alleged prostitution ring that, between Jan. 14 and 15, garnered 10 customers at various hotels in Seaside and Salinas before migrating to Gilroy, according to police reports. On the day police busted open the ring, the victim said she had intercourse with Yahya just hours prior to his arrest.
Yahya, along with Khalid Abdul Malik, 21, of Gilroy; 21-year-old Ivan Diego Wage, of Seaside; and 21-year-old Randi Marshade Neely, of Gilroy; were arrested and charged with felony human trafficking and conspiracy charges. All four appeared in court Tuesday, where Judge Fernandez continued their plea hearing to next month. The suspects are in custody at the Santa Clara County Jail and are scheduled to submit their pleas at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in Department 105.
A fifth suspect, 19-year-old Marvina Kim Jones, of Seaside, was also arrested during the Jan. 16 hotel raid and was booked on trafficking and conspiracy charges, but those charges were subsequently dropped according to Deputy District Attorney Nahal Iravani-Sani because she was not involved in the act of prostituting out the young girl.
During their interviews with the suspects, police were concerned that Neely was caught up in prostitution herself, according to the police report.
Yahya also faces charges of committing lewd acts with a child, oral copulation with a minor, enticing a minor for sex, pimping and pandering. His bail is set at $950,000.
Police were first alerted to the young girl’s location Jan. 14 by an anonymous caller, who allegedly saw her with two black males and a black female at the 7-Eleven on Leavesley Road. The group was last seen being picked up by a taxi, according to the police report.
Police were able to get in touch with a dispatcher and a driver from the taxi company, who told authorities the group was dropped off near the Travel Inn.
Authorities, armed with search warrants, swarmed the hotel at approximately 5 p.m. and located the missing teen shortly after police arrived.
It’s unclear how Yahya first met the 13-year-old girl, GPD Sgt. Pedro Espinoza said, but the girl told detectives she ran away from home on Jan. 14 – and went straight to Yahya.
“I really liked Yahya,” she said in the police report. “He said he would take care of me if I came along and made money for him.”
The police report states the girl “was interested in having a relationship with him, and during their time together, he began to propose that she turn tricks for him.”
According to the victim’s statements, Yahya promised her a lifestyle of “money, clothes and nice things … as long as she was making money for him.”
On Jan. 14, Yahya allegedly took the girl to a Salinas motel where she was prostituted five times, escorted by Khalid and Neely, according to police reports. The group then allegedly drove her to a Salinas motel where she was prostituted five times between Jan. 15 and 16, court records show. From Salinas, the victim told police they made a final stop in Gilroy.
“Most people assume human trafficking is a problem overseas,” Iravani-Sani said. “Many don’t realize it’s taking place in our own backyard and our own children are being exploited on a daily basis.”
During Yahya’s interrogation by police, the suspect acted “as if he was confused about the charges” of pimping and pandering.
“You’re saying something about pimping, but I ain’t got no phone – I don’t got nothing,” Yahya told detectives, as detailed in the police report. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
But during GPD’s interview with the victim, the 13-year-old girl painted a much different picture – including engaging in various alleged sexual acts with Yahya.
“Yahya began telling (the victim) about the money she could make and the easy things she had to do to make, it,” reads the police report. “Yahya told (the victim) if she did those acts, she collects the money and brings it back to him so he can buy her things.”
The young girl also told authorities she was worried for her safety after divulging information to police, according to court records.
“The group did tell her about a different girl who was ‘younger’ that almost got them arrested,” reads the police report. “They talked about how much they wanted to hurt her because of it.”
Since 2011, Santa Clara County has identified between 65 and 75 juveniles who are actively engaged in prostitution, according to Erica Elliott, sexual assault program manager at Community Solutions. The Gilroy-headquartered organization provides support services for victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and prostitution.
“A lot of survivors we work with have experiences with post traumatic stress disorder and try to get them connected with mental health services for more long-term support,” Elliott said.
The victim has been reunited with her family since she was found by police, according to Espinoza. Due to her age and for confidentiality reasons, Community Solutions could not confirm if she is receiving treatment through the organization.
Back on Sept. 5, during a preliminary hearing in Riverside Superior Court, Yahya Malik was cleared of previous, separate charges stemming from his arrest in mid-August for kidnapping, sexual assault and pimping charges after the alleged victim recanted her story and told the court she fabricated her testimony.
According to John Hall, spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, all charges against Malik and four others – including his brothers Muhammad and Ibrahim Malik – were dropped and they were released from custody.
-Between 100,000 and 300,000 youth are commercially exploited as sex slaves every day
-Since 2011, Santa Clara County has identified between 65 and 75 juveniles engaged in prostitution
-One out of every three runaway juveniles across the country are propositioned by a pimp or trafficker within 48 hours of running away from home
-If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking or witness it, call the national 24-hour hotline at 888-373-7888.
If you are currently in crisis and need help, call the 24-hour hotline at 877-363-7238.
Source: Erica Elliot, program and prevention manager for sexual assault and the sexually exploited at Community Solutions
