Crime & Safety
San Leandro Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Human Trafficking
The juvenile victim has been reunited with her family.
A San Leandro man was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison and imposed a fine of $50,000 for forcing a juvenile into prostitution in Monterey County in 2012, a deputy district attorney said.
A jury convicted Levester "Toob" Pierson, 35, in April of human trafficking and pandering, according to Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo.
The April trial lasted a week and presented the events that occurred in February 2012 in which Pierson forced a female juvenile runaway from the Livermore area into prostitution. Co-defendant Lisa Banner then oversaw the juvenile in Monterey County, according to Flippo.
Monterey police Detective Ethan Andrews investigated the case. The trafficked juvenile has since been reunited with her family, the district attorney said. On Tuesday, Pierson pled no contest to terroristic threats and Monterey County Judge Julie Culver sentenced him to nine years in state prison as well as a $50,000 discretionary fine for human trafficking.
Pierson's accomplice, Banner, also known as Aaliyah Person, was earlier sentenced to 10 years and eight months in state prison for pandering, human trafficking and kidnapping, Flippo said.
Both Pierson and Banner are required to register as sex offenders for the entirety of their lives, according to Flippo.
—By Bay City News
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