Dad's Vigilance Rescues Daughter From Prostitution, Lands Pimp In Prison
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - A pimp who prostituted a 17-year-old girl and other women in Aurora last year was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Tuesday.
Carlos Stegall, 41, pleaded guilty on June 20 to pimping, a felony, and second-degree assault after seriously injuring a woman he pimped in 2012.
"Prison is the only place for these flesh peddlers who view kids as a form of profit rather than an individual who deserves protection and respect," Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said in a statement.
The victim's father is credited with helping break open the case after he discovered sexually explicit messages on her cell phone. His daughter then admitted to being forced to work for sex.
"But for the father, I don't know that we ever know this, that we ever find this bad, bad man who's willing to turn kids into objects of sexual degradation," Brauchler said.
The victim's photo was posted on an escort ad, and she was prostituted to nine johns over five days, from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, at a Motel 6 near E. Illiff Avenue and S. Abilene Street.
The DA's office is also prosecuting Colleen Maury, 26, for allegedly luring the girl into sex-trafficking. She's accused of spotting the minor's profile on a dating website called Plenty of Fish and convincing her to become a prostitute. Maury's case is pending.
More than 30 people faced charges stemming from a bust that happened in June. The johns are also facing felony charges of patronizing and engaging in child prostitution.
RELATED: 30 Face Charges In Large Aurora Prostitution Bust
The DA's office described the victim as a typical high school student.
"She was a successful student, involved in school activities, she had close relationship with her parents. She lived a life a normal teenager lived," Deputy District Attorney Anne Kelly, who prosecuted the case, said. "The victims in this case showed a courage and maturity through this process that was truly remarkable."
Investigators said Maury and Stegall kept the majority of the money the women earned.
"(The victim) was told she would get a lot of money from what she was doing. In the end, she got maybe a couple of hundred dollars," Kelly said. "It highlights that this is happening every day in our community. It could happen to anyone."
