RIVERSIDE – Jury selection began in the trial of a felon accused of pimping out a 19-year-old woman for illicit sexual services in Moreno Valley.
Christian Scott Meeks, 34, of Moreno Valley, was arrested in 2021 following an investigation by the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, comprised of sheriff’s deputies, prosecutors and other area law enforcement personnel.
Meeks was ultimately charged with three counts of human trafficking, two counts each of unlawful deprivation of a person’s liberty and assault resulting in great bodily injury, and one count each of witness intimidation and pimping.
On Monday afternoon, the case was assigned to the courtroom of Randall
Staman at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The judge ruled on pretrial motions Tuesday, and on Wednesday, several panels of prospective jurors were
summoned to the downtown courthouse for screening as to their availability and
qualifications.
Testimony could begin before week’s end.
Meeks is being held in lieu of $620,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Menchaca, the defendant was identified as the alleged overseer of a prostitution operation after the 19-year-old woman, whose identity was not released, sought help following several acts of physical abuse allegedly perpetrated by Meeks in 2020.
The length of time that the woman was associated with the defendant was not disclosed.
During an undercover operation initiated in December 2020, task force investigators began amassing evidence, with the victim’s assistance.
According to Menchaca, the investigation culminated in the defendant being taken into custody without incident after a traffic stop on Lassalle Street in Moreno Valley on Feb. 3, 2021.
Court records show Meeks has a prior conviction for grand theft.
The woman was referred to county agencies to get help leaving life on the streets.
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