James Grady III, LA Pimp, Allegedly Forced Captive 15 yr old Teen To Become A Prostitute

's hard to believe that slavery still exists, but it does, all around us.

In late June, a 27-year-old Los Angeles pimp was arrested for allegedly holding a 15-year-old girl captive and sending her out at night to solicit sex. If she didn't meet the quotas he set for her, the pimp would allegedly force her to strip in a shower and then shock her with a Taser.

James Grady III was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on June 28 after a two-month-long human trafficking investigation. He faces charges of pimping of a minor, assault with a deadly weapon, sodomy and human trafficking.

Lt. Andre Dawson, head of the LAPD Detective Support and Vice Division, told The Huffington Post that the young girl was a "chronic runaway" and had a dysfunctional family. When Grady saw her, Dawson says, she was walking on Figueroa Street in LA, after having run away from a group home in Riverside.

Grady recruited her into prostitution by making promises, buying her clothes and taking her out to dinner, which are common tactics used by pimps, according to the police. "She thought she was in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with him," Dawson said. "She was looking for love in the all the wrong places."

The girl told police she was being held captive except for at night, when she would be sent out to prostitute. Grady gave her financial quotas ranging from $600 to $1600 a day, Dawson told HuffPost. If she did not meet the quotas, Grady would force her to take off her clothes and get in the running shower, where he would then hold a Taser to her skin, according to police.

One time, Grady allegedly placed a rifle underneath her chin and said that he would kill her and her family if she did not meet the quota, police say. He also allegedly forced her to perform sexual acts on him.

After being with Grady for four months, one night in early May, when the girl was out prostituting, she ran to an apartment building and told a resident that she was being held against her will. The police were called, and she was put into a secure facility where she is receiving counseling and resources to help transition her back to normal life.

"At the end of the 'Game' [prostitution], you have a child that says, 'All I want to do now is be normal,'" Dawson said. "But they've been forced to live the life of an adult, and it's a long road of recovery."

Dawson explained that the police are trying to increase understanding of sex slavery and trafficking. "The big message is that these little girls are not out there because they want to be. We're trying to teach people to call us if they see a young girl out because there's always a pimp behind the scenes," he said.

In 2010, 174 girls (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/12/child-sex-trafficking-la-county-campaign-video_n_1590842.html) all under 18 years old and some as young as 11 -- were arrested on prostitution-related charges in LA, according to a Los Angeles County-wide anti-child sex trafficking campaign. A trafficker can make $140,000 annually selling one girl, and most traffickers have multiple girls in their "stable" -- anywhere from five to 10 or more, according to the county campaign. That means pimps could make over $1 million a year.

If you think someone is a victim of trafficking, call the Department of Justice at 1-888-428-7581 or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-3737-888.

Also, check out these 20 ways you can help fight human trafficking (http://www.state.gov/j/tip/id/help/index.htm).
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A Los Angeles man who forced a 15-year-old Riverside girl to work as a prostitute and threatened to torture her if she didn’t make enough money has been charged with human trafficking, police say.

Riverside County juvenile probation officials contacted the Los Angeles Police Department on May 4, after the teen told officers that she was a victim of the sex trade, according to an LAPD statement.

“The mental trauma is the most challenging of what damage is done to these children,” said Lt. Andre Dawson, head of the LAPD detective vice division. “We’re trying to reintegrate these victims into society to be normal children, and it’s not easy. They’re forced to live a life far beyond their lives as 13-, 14- or 15-year-olds.”

Experts say the instance may be one of hundreds of human trafficking and child prostitution cases throughout Southern California. California is one of the top three states in the nation for the human trafficking trade, according to the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, a part of the Sheriff’s Department.

Los Angeles police said the girl was a chronic runaway. She was living in a Riverside group home when she ran away earlier this year.

The girl went to LA where she said she met 27-year-old James Grady III, who had forced her to work as a prostitute since January, police said.

The girl said Grady forced her to also perform sexual acts with him.

The girl said Grady set daily “financial quotas.” When the girl came back short of her quota, she said, Grady forced her to strip and get into a shower with running water. She said Grady held an electric Taser to her skin, powered it up and told her that next time he would electrocute her in the shower.

She said Grady also held a rifle underneath her chin and threatened to kill her and her family if she didn’t earn her quota.

The girl said she was being held captive at Grady’s home but was sent out to work every night.

The girl eventually ran away and told a passer-by that she was being held captive. The passer-by saw the girl’s injuries and called police, Dawson said.

“She’s working for him as a prostitute and at some point it turns violent,” Dawson said. “She said she didn’t want to be involved anymore and escaped and ran for help. She said she was being held captive as a hostage and a victim.”

LAPD vice detectives investigated the case for two months, arresting Grady on June 28 near 94th and Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. Grady was charged in LA Superior Court with pimping of a minor, assault with a deadly weapon, sodomy and human trafficking.

Social services placed the girl in a “safe home” to prevent her from running away again, Dawson said. LAPD detectives are searching for additional victims.

“When we do find a case with a pimp, there are always additional victims,” Dawson said. “We don’t know who they are, and we’re seeing how the victim may help identify other girls.”

Signs of ‘The Game’

Police and child advocates say human trafficking and underage prostitution are growing problems throughout Southern California and the Inland region.

Officials with the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force formed last year say they have rescued 40 victims during the past two years. About 80 percent of child trafficking cases are sexual exploitation cases.

The LAPD’s Human Trafficking Unit has arrested more than 80 people during 500 investigations since 2009.

“A lot of times, it’s unfortunate, these girls meet these guys and think there’s some personal relationship or a boyfriend, like looking for love in all the wrong places,” Dawson said. “Two to three days down the road, the entire personality changes and they get caught up in it.”

Other victims may stay with their pimps for drugs or alcohol, or become delusional with romance and gifts in exchange for working in prostitution, Dawson said.

Many victims will meet their exploiters online and rebel against their parents at home. Teens in social services or foster care and group homes may also turn to prostitution, Dawson said.

It takes children between 48 and 72 hours of working with a pimp to get caught up in the world that investigators know as “The Game,” Dawson said.

“Our biggest challenge right now is teaching the public the indicators of human trafficking,” Dawson said. “It may be right there, but they don’t realize what they’re seeing.”
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