A Fresno man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for child sex trafficking of a teenager in Ventura County.
Javontay Bess, 27, was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison on charges of felony human trafficking of a minor with a special allegation of being paroled at the time of the offense.
Bess was involved in the trafficking of a 16-year-old girl from Riverside, who was discovered and rescued in 2019, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
In May 2019, a citizen contacted Ventura County authorities to report “suspicious circumstances and possible sex trafficking at a Camarillo motel,” according to court documents.
Detectives discovered Bess used online advertising to arrange commercial sex acts with the teenager at Ventura County motels.
At the time, “investigators quickly narrowed down the juvenile’s location to the Newbury Park area,” authorities said.
But the teen left Ventura County before authorities could track her down. She traveled to the Bakersfield area before going to Madera County and then to Fresno, officials said.
She was found by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office on May 24, 2019, following search efforts involving law enforcement agencies around Southern and Central California. She was taken into protective custody and provided with services for sex trafficking victims.
Along with Bess, two other men were also arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident — Cirsten Joseph, 26 and Allan Sherman, 29.
Bess previously pled guilty on April 13, 2023, to felony human trafficking, by causing a minor to engage in a commercial sex act.
“Human trafficking inflicts unspeakable harm upon some of the most vulnerable members of society — in this case, a child,” said Ventura County Deputy District Attorney Rikole Kelly. “Ventura County will never be a soft target for these types of crimes and we will continue to hold perpetrators accountable.”
Authorities said victims of human trafficking are “often youths who are persuaded into commercial sex under the guise of a romantic relationship, financial gain, or a glamorized lifestyle.”