7 days ago
South LA street gang members charged in Figueroa Corridor sex trafficking case, DOJ says
A grand jury indicted 11 members and associates of the Hoover Criminal Gang for sex trafficking children and adults along South Los Angeles' Figueroa Corridor, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In addition to sex trafficking crimes, the 31-count indictment charges the following 11 people with one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act:
The Justice Department described Armstead as the de facto leader of the 112 set, an offshoot of the Hoover Criminal Gang, and named her as the lead defendant in the RICO case. Federal and local law enforcement arrested all of the suspects except Isrel, as of Wednesday afternoon.
If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
"Today's operation is the first step in returning the Figueroa Corridor – long known as prostitution haven – back to its residents who have suffered for too long while criminals were allowed to run amok," Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.
Federal prosecutors claimed the gang had controlled the sex trafficking and prostitution ring along the Figueroa Corridor between February 2021 and August 2025. Investigators said the gang recruited new victims through social media or in person, primarily focusing on vulnerable women and girls with financial or emotional struggles, some of whom were runaways or foster youth. The Justice Department said the gang provided the women with drugs, gave them false promises of a luxurious lifestyle and, in some cases, beat them.
"The exploitation of vulnerable women and children through sex trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes our society faces," said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. "The victims in this case – many of them minors, runaways, or from the foster care system – were preyed upon by individuals who sought to profit from their pain.
The suspects forced sex workers to give up everything they had made, according to the indictment. The Justice Department said the women who refused or disobeyed were either beaten, berated, humiliated and starved of affection, drugs or food.
Several of the women were branded with tattoos of some of the suspects' nicknames.
"Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes perpetuated throughout the world," said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. "No human should be for sale – not here in Los Angeles or anywhere in our society. Today's operation is a result of our commitment to identify and rescue victims of trafficking and to hold accountable these criminal organizations exploiting them."
