1 00:00:08,550 --> 00:00:09,968 MARIANA VAN ZELLER: Maybe tell me a little bit 2 00:00:09,968 --> 00:00:11,261 about your day today. 3 00:00:11,261 --> 00:00:13,931 You wake up and then what happens? 4 00:00:13,931 --> 00:00:18,477 GOTTI: I wake up, make sure my sons are in school, 5 00:00:18,477 --> 00:00:21,772 and then drive all over creation, 6 00:00:21,772 --> 00:00:23,941 looking at these young, pretty girls. 7 00:00:31,198 --> 00:00:32,199 MAN: Train stations. 8 00:00:32,199 --> 00:00:33,242 MAN: Instagram. WOMAN: Instagram. 9 00:00:33,242 --> 00:00:34,243 MAN: Facebook. 10 00:00:34,243 --> 00:00:35,410 MAN: County jail. 11 00:00:35,410 --> 00:00:36,787 All‐night Denny's. 12 00:00:36,787 --> 00:00:39,373 MARIANA: First comes the seduction. 13 00:00:39,373 --> 00:00:41,750 Then comes the reality. 14 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:44,044 LADY P: After a couple of days of drinking and smoking, 15 00:00:44,044 --> 00:00:47,005 now you got to walk the street. 16 00:00:47,005 --> 00:00:49,091 MARIANA: This is a story about pimps. 17 00:00:49,091 --> 00:00:51,760 How they work, how they think, 18 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:53,971 and what they'll do to grab their share 19 00:00:53,971 --> 00:00:57,641 of the billion‐dollar market for illicit sex in America. 20 00:00:59,142 --> 00:01:00,227 (knocking) 21 00:01:08,777 --> 00:01:10,320 JACK KNIFE: I'm not saying what I do is right, 22 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:13,156 but I'm a wolf out here to survive on these streets. 23 00:01:13,156 --> 00:01:15,367 Because I'm not gonna be no sheep. 24 00:01:15,367 --> 00:01:17,327 (sirens) 25 00:01:17,327 --> 00:01:27,379 ♪ ♪ 26 00:01:27,379 --> 00:01:30,382 (siren) 27 00:01:30,382 --> 00:01:32,050 MICHELLE: The very first time I ever did it, 28 00:01:32,050 --> 00:01:33,969 it was a complete rush. 29 00:01:33,969 --> 00:01:37,139 And then you just kind of start to get used to it. 30 00:01:37,139 --> 00:01:39,891 MARIANA: What is it like when you're, when you're out there? 31 00:01:39,891 --> 00:01:40,892 MICHELLE: It's cold. 32 00:01:40,892 --> 00:01:42,728 It's really cold. 33 00:01:42,728 --> 00:01:44,938 This is a good amount of clothes. 34 00:01:44,938 --> 00:01:48,025 We've seen girls out there in just like a bra and underwear. 35 00:01:48,025 --> 00:01:49,026 MARIANA: In the winter? 36 00:01:49,026 --> 00:01:50,777 MICHELLE: In the winter, in the rain. 37 00:01:50,777 --> 00:01:52,070 A lot of them can't leave 38 00:01:52,070 --> 00:01:55,115 until they are told that they can come back in. 39 00:01:55,115 --> 00:01:56,992 MARIANA: By their pimps? 40 00:01:56,992 --> 00:01:58,327 MICHELLE: Yeah. Pimps. 41 00:02:00,579 --> 00:02:02,205 MARIANA: Is it dangerous? 42 00:02:02,205 --> 00:02:03,248 MICHELLE: Oh, it's extremely dangerous. 43 00:02:03,248 --> 00:02:04,624 Vehicles pull up to us 44 00:02:04,624 --> 00:02:06,376 that you don't know if they're just gonna roll by 45 00:02:06,376 --> 00:02:07,753 and just start shooting at you. 46 00:02:07,753 --> 00:02:10,881 Like a rival pimp, that you're working for someone, 47 00:02:10,881 --> 00:02:12,924 and that's technically their enemy, 48 00:02:12,924 --> 00:02:14,801 so instead of going after the pimp, 49 00:02:14,801 --> 00:02:16,595 they're gonna go after the girls. 50 00:02:16,595 --> 00:02:18,597 MARIANA: How often are you approached by pimps? 51 00:02:18,597 --> 00:02:20,098 MICHELLE: Almost every time we're out there. 52 00:02:20,098 --> 00:02:23,018 MARIANA: And you've been doing this for how long? 53 00:02:23,018 --> 00:02:26,855 MICHELLE: I've been doing this for around three years. 54 00:02:26,855 --> 00:02:29,775 MARIANA: Was it soon after you joined the police department or? 55 00:02:29,775 --> 00:02:34,529 MICHELLE: Um, it was a good chunk of time after. 56 00:02:34,529 --> 00:02:36,156 MARIANA: Michelle, as we'll call her, 57 00:02:36,156 --> 00:02:38,450 is one of two Oakland police officers 58 00:02:38,450 --> 00:02:41,995 who will be going undercover tonight as decoys. 59 00:02:41,995 --> 00:02:42,996 So how do you... 60 00:02:42,996 --> 00:02:44,998 MICHELLE: We have people very close. 61 00:02:44,998 --> 00:02:46,541 MARIANA: Watching? MICHELLE: Mm‐hmm. 62 00:02:46,541 --> 00:02:48,919 MICHELLE: And we do have our firearms on us also. 63 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:49,961 MARIANA: Oh, you take a gun with you? 64 00:02:49,961 --> 00:02:52,297 MICHELLE: Yeah. 65 00:02:52,297 --> 00:02:53,465 MARIANA: Where? 66 00:02:53,465 --> 00:02:56,468 MICHELLE: We just, we make it work. 67 00:02:56,468 --> 00:02:59,930 MARIANA: Sex trafficking has become front‐page news recently, 68 00:02:59,930 --> 00:03:01,807 thanks to high‐profile cases 69 00:03:01,807 --> 00:03:04,685 like that of multi‐millionaire Jeffrey Epstein. 70 00:03:04,685 --> 00:03:05,894 NEWSCASTER: For several years, 71 00:03:05,894 --> 00:03:10,190 Epstein was operating a sex trafficking ring. 72 00:03:10,190 --> 00:03:12,192 MARIANA: Not long ago, sex trafficking was thought 73 00:03:12,192 --> 00:03:15,195 to be largely a transnational problem, 74 00:03:15,195 --> 00:03:17,989 with criminal networks smuggling undocumented women 75 00:03:17,989 --> 00:03:21,118 across borders to work as sex slaves, 76 00:03:21,118 --> 00:03:23,453 but there's a far more common variety, 77 00:03:23,453 --> 00:03:27,124 happening in every U. S. city, big and small, 78 00:03:27,124 --> 00:03:32,170 that sees Americans exploiting other Americans. 79 00:03:32,170 --> 00:03:36,133 No state reports more cases than California. 80 00:03:36,133 --> 00:03:39,469 And by all accounts, Oakland is a hot spot. 81 00:03:39,469 --> 00:03:40,971 POLICE OFFICER: Thanks, everyone, for being here, 82 00:03:40,971 --> 00:03:43,140 we're doing a decoy operation today. 83 00:03:43,140 --> 00:03:45,183 It's very dangerous for the decoys. 84 00:03:45,183 --> 00:03:47,102 Stay out of sight. Keep close. 85 00:03:47,102 --> 00:03:48,687 If we do arrest a pimp, 86 00:03:48,687 --> 00:03:51,857 we're gonna call a Code 3 response for an arrest. 87 00:03:53,733 --> 00:03:56,445 MARIANA: The goal of the operation is to disrupt business 88 00:03:56,445 --> 00:04:00,574 around one of California's most notorious prostitution tracks, 89 00:04:00,574 --> 00:04:03,952 International Boulevard in East Oakland. 90 00:04:03,952 --> 00:04:06,413 It's a place where pimps have long been known 91 00:04:06,413 --> 00:04:08,832 to sell underage girls. 92 00:04:08,832 --> 00:04:11,334 You guys used to go after mainly the women 93 00:04:11,334 --> 00:04:13,503 working on the streets, and you've since shift, 94 00:04:13,503 --> 00:04:15,797 and are now going after the traffickers 95 00:04:15,797 --> 00:04:17,132 and the johns, the demand as well. 96 00:04:17,132 --> 00:04:18,508 When did that happen? 97 00:04:18,508 --> 00:04:20,260 JIMMY BEERE: October of last year. Yeah. 98 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:21,386 MARIANA: Just October of last year. 99 00:04:21,386 --> 00:04:22,596 JIMMY: Yeah. 100 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:23,972 MARIANA: Pretty recent change. 101 00:04:23,972 --> 00:04:25,682 JIMMY: Yes, pretty recent change. 102 00:04:25,682 --> 00:04:28,059 And we want to target what's fueling the demand 103 00:04:28,059 --> 00:04:29,352 here in Oakland. 104 00:04:29,352 --> 00:04:30,937 We want to go after the exploiters, 105 00:04:30,937 --> 00:04:34,024 the ones that are victimizing our young women. 106 00:04:34,024 --> 00:04:37,652 So by attacking the demand and making people know 107 00:04:37,652 --> 00:04:39,738 that Oakland's not a place that's gonna tolerate 108 00:04:39,738 --> 00:04:42,991 forcing people into prostitution. 109 00:04:42,991 --> 00:04:44,993 MARIANA: Lieutenant Jimmy Beere is the commander 110 00:04:44,993 --> 00:04:50,165 of the vice unit and my guide for the evening. 111 00:04:50,165 --> 00:04:52,125 JIMMY: When a john pulls up, they pull up real slow, 112 00:04:52,125 --> 00:04:54,753 kind of to check out the girls, see how they look. 113 00:04:54,753 --> 00:04:56,379 Window shopping, I hate to say. 114 00:04:56,379 --> 00:04:58,924 Pimp, on the other hand, they want to make it known 115 00:04:58,924 --> 00:05:01,092 they're the big dog in this neighborhood. 116 00:05:01,092 --> 00:05:04,137 So, they usually swoop up onto the corner really fast. 117 00:05:04,137 --> 00:05:06,056 Anything intimidating, like do a burnout 118 00:05:06,056 --> 00:05:09,184 and take off at a really high rate of speed. 119 00:05:09,184 --> 00:05:10,727 MAN: Got a male Hispanic on foot 120 00:05:10,727 --> 00:05:13,230 talking to the girls right now. 121 00:05:13,230 --> 00:05:14,981 JIMMY: Swoop signal on the dude with the bald head. 122 00:05:14,981 --> 00:05:16,733 (siren) 123 00:05:16,733 --> 00:05:21,154 MAN: He just got into a white '80s model Toyota pickup truck. 124 00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:23,114 JIMMY: Yeah, that's it right there. Positive ID. 125 00:05:23,114 --> 00:05:24,407 MARIANA: It's happening, you see that? 126 00:05:24,407 --> 00:05:28,078 JIMMY: Yeah, they're arresting him right now. 127 00:05:28,078 --> 00:05:30,163 MARIANA: The decoys move several blocks away 128 00:05:30,163 --> 00:05:33,041 and start working on another corner. 129 00:05:33,041 --> 00:05:36,044 Within minutes, a car pulls up. 130 00:05:36,044 --> 00:05:37,045 JIMMY: He's hauling ass to get out of here. 131 00:05:37,045 --> 00:05:38,964 MARIANA: Yeah. 132 00:05:38,964 --> 00:05:40,507 That's him. 133 00:05:40,507 --> 00:05:42,926 What do you find with the majority of these johns? 134 00:05:42,926 --> 00:05:44,886 What's sort of the profile? 135 00:05:44,886 --> 00:05:46,888 JIMMY: As you see already, it's been, like, one male Asian, 136 00:05:46,888 --> 00:05:49,140 one male Hispanic, one male Black. 137 00:05:49,140 --> 00:05:50,934 Typically, there'll be a male white next, 138 00:05:50,934 --> 00:05:53,061 you know, if I'm gonna, if I'm gonna bet. 139 00:05:53,061 --> 00:05:55,939 MARIANA: And young, old, married, single? 140 00:05:55,939 --> 00:05:57,983 JIMMY: All of that. All of that. 141 00:05:57,983 --> 00:06:00,527 Yeah, there's no real profile of a john. 142 00:06:00,527 --> 00:06:02,070 WOMAN: There's a male in a Lexus 143 00:06:02,070 --> 00:06:03,530 hanging out the window with a gun. 144 00:06:03,530 --> 00:06:04,948 JIMMY: Oh, (bleep). 145 00:06:04,948 --> 00:06:07,242 Might have a guy pointing guns at the prostitutes. 146 00:06:07,242 --> 00:06:08,535 (siren) 147 00:06:08,535 --> 00:06:09,953 MARIANA: Quickly, it becomes clear 148 00:06:09,953 --> 00:06:12,372 that they could arrest johns all night long. 149 00:06:12,372 --> 00:06:14,833 (siren) 150 00:06:14,833 --> 00:06:17,377 But it's not the johns they're really after. 151 00:06:17,377 --> 00:06:19,170 JIMMY: We're trying to draw the pimp out. 152 00:06:19,170 --> 00:06:21,256 Lure him out from behind the shadows. 153 00:06:21,256 --> 00:06:24,885 Try to get them to actually recruit one of our girls 154 00:06:24,885 --> 00:06:27,721 and then we go after him. 155 00:06:27,721 --> 00:06:29,973 MARIANA: Do you think they're making more money as pimps 156 00:06:29,973 --> 00:06:31,975 than they are if they were selling drugs? 157 00:06:31,975 --> 00:06:33,977 JIMMY: Yes. MARIANA: Why? 158 00:06:33,977 --> 00:06:36,146 JIMMY: There's more of it. 159 00:06:36,146 --> 00:06:37,731 There's more demand. 160 00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:39,024 You don't have to buy the product, 161 00:06:39,024 --> 00:06:41,192 so I don't have to come out‐of‐pocket. 162 00:06:41,192 --> 00:06:42,736 I don't have to package it. 163 00:06:42,736 --> 00:06:45,155 I'm not being at risk for holding on to it. 164 00:06:45,155 --> 00:06:47,824 Renewable product that never expires 165 00:06:47,824 --> 00:06:49,367 as long as she's still alive. 166 00:06:49,367 --> 00:06:52,579 And if she's alive, she better be making money. 167 00:06:52,579 --> 00:06:54,456 MARIANA: The challenge is actually finding them, 168 00:06:54,456 --> 00:06:55,457 or getting them. 169 00:06:55,457 --> 00:06:58,543 JIMMY: That's it. 170 00:06:58,543 --> 00:07:00,003 BARACK OBAMA: Our fight against human trafficking 171 00:07:00,003 --> 00:07:02,297 is one of the great human rights causes of our time. 172 00:07:02,297 --> 00:07:04,758 And the United States will continue to lead it. 173 00:07:04,758 --> 00:07:06,926 DONALD TRUMP: We will not rest until we've stopped 174 00:07:06,926 --> 00:07:12,891 every last human trafficker and liberated every last survivor. 175 00:07:12,891 --> 00:07:14,684 MARIANA: The fight against trafficking seems to be 176 00:07:14,684 --> 00:07:18,229 one of the few issues that transcends politics. 177 00:07:18,229 --> 00:07:21,816 But all of that attention hides an ugly truth, 178 00:07:21,816 --> 00:07:25,362 that busting sex traffickers is extremely difficult, 179 00:07:25,362 --> 00:07:29,324 in part because their victims are often afraid to testify. 180 00:07:29,324 --> 00:07:31,326 JIMMY: It's more difficult to solve these cases, 181 00:07:31,326 --> 00:07:35,163 I would venture to say, than murder charges. 182 00:07:35,163 --> 00:07:38,875 MARIANA: For these pimps, that means the risk is relatively low 183 00:07:38,875 --> 00:07:41,378 and the profits sky high, 184 00:07:41,378 --> 00:07:44,339 a combination that must be irresistible, 185 00:07:44,339 --> 00:07:47,717 which is exactly why I want to find one. 186 00:07:47,717 --> 00:07:49,302 (rapping) ♪ Cash, cash, cash, cash ♪ 187 00:07:49,302 --> 00:07:51,137 ♪ I will not stop till I'm filthy rich ♪ 188 00:07:51,137 --> 00:07:52,972 ♪ I made a dollar out of 50 cents ♪ 189 00:07:52,972 --> 00:07:54,974 ♪ I made the track over 50 bricks ♪ 190 00:07:54,974 --> 00:07:56,935 ♪ .22 on me like... ♪ 191 00:07:58,603 --> 00:08:01,106 My search begins on Instagram. 192 00:08:01,106 --> 00:08:02,816 That's where I learn that pimps 193 00:08:02,816 --> 00:08:06,820 have their own ecosystem of hashtags. 194 00:08:06,820 --> 00:08:08,947 There's this one hashtag, 3‐0‐4. 195 00:08:08,947 --> 00:08:13,118 If you turn around 304, it actually spells "hoe." 196 00:08:13,118 --> 00:08:16,037 Can't show a lot of these faces, but #GameRelated, 197 00:08:16,037 --> 00:08:17,831 #PGO, Pimp Game On, 198 00:08:17,831 --> 00:08:20,166 #HGO, which means Ho Game On, 199 00:08:20,166 --> 00:08:22,502 #IZM, which is, like, the swagger. 200 00:08:22,502 --> 00:08:24,546 More jewelry, more diamonds. 201 00:08:24,546 --> 00:08:26,756 This display of wealth and power. 202 00:08:26,756 --> 00:08:28,341 These stacks of cash. 203 00:08:28,341 --> 00:08:31,553 All of this is just a way to show these women 204 00:08:31,553 --> 00:08:35,682 what their lives could be like if they were working for them. 205 00:08:35,682 --> 00:08:37,934 I have no idea if any of these guys 206 00:08:37,934 --> 00:08:41,146 are actually pimps or just playing the part. 207 00:08:41,146 --> 00:08:44,983 But for some, it certainly feels like their social media feed 208 00:08:44,983 --> 00:08:47,944 is the marketing arm of their operation. 209 00:08:47,944 --> 00:08:49,612 Doesn't seem like they're very ashamed 210 00:08:49,612 --> 00:08:51,823 or trying to hide what they're doing at all. 211 00:08:51,823 --> 00:08:54,200 In fact, they want to show it off. 212 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:58,121 Over several weeks, I message countless guys and a few women, 213 00:08:58,121 --> 00:09:01,332 asking if any of them would be up for talking. 214 00:09:01,332 --> 00:09:03,960 I get mostly silence. 215 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,921 Then finally, a breakthrough. 216 00:09:09,799 --> 00:09:13,344 I stumble upon a genre of book I didn't know existed: 217 00:09:13,344 --> 00:09:15,096 the pimp memoir. 218 00:09:15,096 --> 00:09:18,058 That's how I found Mickey Royal. 219 00:09:18,058 --> 00:09:21,144 Sure enough, the author of The Pimp Game 220 00:09:21,144 --> 00:09:22,771 agrees to meet me at a motel 221 00:09:22,771 --> 00:09:25,482 in the heart of South Central Los Angeles. 222 00:09:29,736 --> 00:09:31,988 I'm hopeful that Mickey will be the key 223 00:09:31,988 --> 00:09:35,325 to finding my way inside his former profession. 224 00:09:38,161 --> 00:09:39,329 How are you? 225 00:09:39,329 --> 00:09:40,747 MICKEY ROYAL: Alright. 226 00:09:40,747 --> 00:09:41,831 MARIANA: Mariana. 227 00:09:41,831 --> 00:09:42,999 MICKEY: Mickey Royal. At your service. 228 00:09:42,999 --> 00:09:44,125 MARIANA: Hi, Mickey, so nice to meet you. 229 00:09:44,125 --> 00:09:47,003 MICKEY: Same here. Likewise. 230 00:09:47,003 --> 00:09:49,005 I didn't really start really pimping 231 00:09:49,005 --> 00:09:51,091 until I was about 19 or 20. 232 00:09:51,091 --> 00:09:52,801 I came from a drug and gang background, 233 00:09:52,801 --> 00:09:57,138 so I always thought of that particular life as being weak, 234 00:09:57,138 --> 00:09:59,599 you know, because if it didn't involve a pistol, 235 00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:01,184 I wasn't interested. 236 00:10:01,184 --> 00:10:05,021 But it was something about the allure of it. 237 00:10:05,021 --> 00:10:09,025 It just sucks you in, and I fell in love with it. 238 00:10:10,401 --> 00:10:12,195 DREXL SPIVEY: I know I'm pretty. 239 00:10:12,195 --> 00:10:15,198 MARIANA: The allure of pimping is no secret. 240 00:10:15,198 --> 00:10:16,658 GOLDIE: I want you to get yourself together 241 00:10:16,658 --> 00:10:19,160 and get back out there and get me my money. 242 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:23,373 MARIANA: From movies to music videos... 243 00:10:23,373 --> 00:10:25,667 50 CENT: ♪ That I'm a ‐‐‐‐ P‐I‐M‐P ♪ 244 00:10:25,667 --> 00:10:27,710 MARIANA: ...to Seinfeld. 245 00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:31,172 (laughter) 246 00:10:31,172 --> 00:10:34,342 Very few underworld figures have gotten as much love 247 00:10:34,342 --> 00:10:38,263 from pop culture as the pimp. 248 00:10:38,263 --> 00:10:39,472 But I want to know 249 00:10:39,472 --> 00:10:43,017 how the business of pimping really works. 250 00:10:43,017 --> 00:10:44,978 Mickey offers to take me for a tour 251 00:10:44,978 --> 00:10:48,022 of the most infamous track in L. A. 252 00:10:48,022 --> 00:10:49,107 Where are we heading? Where are we going? 253 00:10:49,107 --> 00:10:50,525 MICKEY: We're headed to Figueroa. 254 00:10:50,525 --> 00:10:53,194 It's referred to as the track, the blade. 255 00:10:53,194 --> 00:10:55,196 It's been around since the '60s. 256 00:10:55,196 --> 00:10:56,865 We're talking about 95 blocks. 257 00:10:56,865 --> 00:10:57,866 MARIANA: Wow. 258 00:10:57,866 --> 00:10:59,993 MICKEY: 95 blocks. 259 00:10:59,993 --> 00:11:01,661 MARIANA: How dangerous is it, do you think? 260 00:11:01,661 --> 00:11:03,163 MICKEY: It's extremely dangerous. 261 00:11:03,163 --> 00:11:05,123 You got the tricks you have to worry about. 262 00:11:05,123 --> 00:11:07,667 You have upsetting the pimp you have to worry about. 263 00:11:07,667 --> 00:11:11,296 Kidnapping, stabbings, shootings, plenty of them. 264 00:11:11,296 --> 00:11:12,714 You're talking about a profession 265 00:11:12,714 --> 00:11:15,341 where sexual assault and rape 266 00:11:15,341 --> 00:11:17,886 are just occupational daily hazards. 267 00:11:21,389 --> 00:11:24,309 MARIANA: So, I've lived in Los Angeles for over 10 years, 268 00:11:24,309 --> 00:11:25,685 and I know Figueroa, 269 00:11:25,685 --> 00:11:28,688 but I have never seen any of this till tonight. 270 00:11:28,688 --> 00:11:30,356 MICKEY: That's why I call it the Shadow World. 271 00:11:30,356 --> 00:11:32,400 It exists at night and broad daylight. 272 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:33,735 She's working to the right. 273 00:11:33,735 --> 00:11:35,028 MARIANA: Oh, she's wearing a bikini. 274 00:11:35,028 --> 00:11:36,404 MICKEY: Yeah. 275 00:11:36,404 --> 00:11:38,323 MARIANA: It's also freezing. It's 46 degrees outside. 276 00:11:38,323 --> 00:11:39,866 MICKEY: I mean, you got to understand, 277 00:11:39,866 --> 00:11:41,326 if they have pimps or whatever, 278 00:11:41,326 --> 00:11:43,786 they can make extra money by being seen from a distance, 279 00:11:43,786 --> 00:11:46,039 they're not even allowed to wear jackets. 280 00:11:46,039 --> 00:11:47,582 See how they both were naked? 281 00:11:47,582 --> 00:11:49,167 More than likely, they have the same pimp. 282 00:11:49,167 --> 00:11:50,627 MARIANA: Was that a thing? 283 00:11:50,627 --> 00:11:52,045 Where your girls that worked with you dressed the same? 284 00:11:52,045 --> 00:11:53,129 MICKEY: Yeah, 'cause it's easier to shop 285 00:11:53,129 --> 00:11:55,965 for all of them at the same time. 286 00:11:55,965 --> 00:11:58,927 MARIANA: So all these three girls have the same shoes. 287 00:11:58,927 --> 00:12:01,179 Does that mean that they work for the same pimp? 288 00:12:01,179 --> 00:12:03,348 MICKEY: More than likely. 289 00:12:03,348 --> 00:12:04,557 MARIANA: She was so young. 290 00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:06,017 She looked like she was like 15 or something. 291 00:12:06,017 --> 00:12:07,101 Did you see that? 292 00:12:07,101 --> 00:12:09,520 MICKEY: Yeah. You'll see a lot of those. 293 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,981 MARIANA: I mean, it's dozens and dozens and dozens of women 294 00:12:11,981 --> 00:12:14,734 that we've seen so far in, what, in about 20 blocks, right? 295 00:12:14,734 --> 00:12:16,069 MICKEY: Right. 296 00:12:16,069 --> 00:12:18,404 You should see them on Friday and Saturday night. 297 00:12:18,404 --> 00:12:19,948 It's like a concert. 298 00:12:19,948 --> 00:12:22,075 (siren) 299 00:12:22,075 --> 00:12:23,159 MARIANA: So where would you be? 300 00:12:23,159 --> 00:12:24,827 Imagine a girl would be on this corner. 301 00:12:24,827 --> 00:12:26,037 Where would you be? 302 00:12:26,037 --> 00:12:27,872 MICKEY: Sitting in the car not far away. 303 00:12:27,872 --> 00:12:28,873 MARIANA: Oh, watching her. 304 00:12:28,873 --> 00:12:30,959 MICKEY: Yeah. MARIANA: Why? 305 00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:32,126 MICKEY: To make sure she's okay. 306 00:12:32,126 --> 00:12:34,128 And I figured that was my job. 307 00:12:34,128 --> 00:12:35,588 MARIANA: And if you had more than one girl, 308 00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:36,714 how do you do that? 309 00:12:36,714 --> 00:12:38,216 MICKEY: You cruise around. 310 00:12:38,216 --> 00:12:40,093 You might sit here for about 10 minutes until she gets a date, 311 00:12:40,093 --> 00:12:43,096 see where it goes, and then you cruise up to see this one. 312 00:12:43,096 --> 00:12:44,931 Pull up on one, you collect your money. 313 00:12:44,931 --> 00:12:45,974 But she's not gonna get any dates 314 00:12:45,974 --> 00:12:47,433 while you're sitting there. 315 00:12:51,312 --> 00:12:53,439 MARIANA: We've been circling the same stretch of blocks 316 00:12:53,439 --> 00:12:57,235 several times when Mickey gets spooked. 317 00:12:57,235 --> 00:12:59,570 MICKEY: Okay, that's, uh, we got to go somewhere else. 318 00:12:59,570 --> 00:13:00,571 MARIANA: What happened? MICKEY: That's them. 319 00:13:00,571 --> 00:13:01,614 MARIANA: Why? What happened? 320 00:13:01,614 --> 00:13:02,865 MICKEY: It's starting to get hot. 321 00:13:02,865 --> 00:13:04,158 MARIANA: What do you mean? What'd he do? 322 00:13:04,158 --> 00:13:05,702 MICKEY: Once we got made, as far as the cameras, 323 00:13:05,702 --> 00:13:08,162 what'll happen is they'll start telling everybody what they saw 324 00:13:08,162 --> 00:13:09,831 and pointing out the car. 325 00:13:12,458 --> 00:13:13,835 MICKEY: You don't want to do that. 326 00:13:13,835 --> 00:13:16,963 No. You want to call it a night right now, trust me. 327 00:13:16,963 --> 00:13:19,090 MARIANA: I follow Mickey's advice, 328 00:13:19,090 --> 00:13:22,802 but I'm still hopeful he can connect me to an active pimp. 329 00:13:22,802 --> 00:13:24,929 So, we've been working on this story for a long time, 330 00:13:24,929 --> 00:13:27,598 and it's been really hard to get people to talk to us, 331 00:13:27,598 --> 00:13:29,767 especially people who are currently in the game. 332 00:13:29,767 --> 00:13:31,144 MICKEY: Yeah, you won't get that. 333 00:13:31,144 --> 00:13:33,271 MARIANA: I mean, if you were currently doing it, 334 00:13:33,271 --> 00:13:34,439 would you even admit it to us? 335 00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:35,440 MICKEY: No. 336 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:36,607 You hopping out with the cameras, 337 00:13:36,607 --> 00:13:38,151 you're better off pulling guns on me. 338 00:13:38,151 --> 00:13:39,777 No. 339 00:13:39,777 --> 00:13:41,863 Guns I'll challenge, the camera I'll just run. 340 00:13:41,863 --> 00:13:42,864 No. 341 00:13:42,864 --> 00:13:45,450 MARIANA: Why not? 342 00:13:45,450 --> 00:13:47,243 MICKEY: Because if you want to get away with a crime, 343 00:13:47,243 --> 00:13:50,204 it has to be a secret. 344 00:13:50,204 --> 00:13:53,249 Simple as that. 345 00:13:53,249 --> 00:13:57,170 MARIANA: After our interview, Mickey pulls me aside. 346 00:13:57,170 --> 00:14:01,549 He gives me a name, a number, and a promise. 347 00:14:01,549 --> 00:14:05,386 One phone call later, doors begin to open. 348 00:14:12,977 --> 00:14:17,774 (phone ringing) 349 00:14:17,774 --> 00:14:18,900 NINA: Hello? 350 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:21,569 MARIANA: Hi, it's Mariana here. How are you? 351 00:14:21,569 --> 00:14:22,570 NINA: I'm fine. 352 00:14:22,570 --> 00:14:24,072 MARIANA: Mickey gave me your number 353 00:14:24,072 --> 00:14:27,533 and said that you'd be willing to talk to us. 354 00:14:27,533 --> 00:14:30,036 We'd love to meet with you at a place somewhere in Inglewood 355 00:14:30,036 --> 00:14:31,412 if you're available. 356 00:14:31,412 --> 00:14:32,663 NINA: Yes. 357 00:14:32,663 --> 00:14:34,123 MARIANA: Okay. And you're bringing some people 358 00:14:34,123 --> 00:14:35,792 that work with you, right? 359 00:14:35,792 --> 00:14:37,251 NINA: Right. 360 00:14:37,251 --> 00:14:40,254 MARIANA: That hotel, is that the place you want to meet? 361 00:14:40,254 --> 00:14:41,422 NINA: Right. Yeah. 362 00:14:41,422 --> 00:14:42,924 MARIANA: Have you worked out of there? 363 00:14:42,924 --> 00:14:44,675 NINA: Yeah. 364 00:14:48,179 --> 00:14:50,389 MARIANA: So, we've rented this motel room. 365 00:14:50,389 --> 00:14:53,434 It's a place that they've said they've worked at before. 366 00:14:53,434 --> 00:14:55,019 We were supposed to meet here an hour ago. 367 00:14:55,019 --> 00:14:56,562 They still haven't showed up. 368 00:14:56,562 --> 00:14:59,607 But we're, you know, we're hoping they will. 369 00:14:59,607 --> 00:15:01,859 It's been really hard to get people to talk to us, 370 00:15:01,859 --> 00:15:03,111 so it sounded really positive, 371 00:15:03,111 --> 00:15:06,322 and I'm hoping that they will show up tonight. 372 00:15:11,869 --> 00:15:13,287 MARIANA: Oh, hi. NINA: Nice to meet you. 373 00:15:13,287 --> 00:15:14,330 MARIANA: I'm Mariana. How are you? 374 00:15:14,330 --> 00:15:15,623 NINA: I'm fine. 375 00:15:15,623 --> 00:15:18,209 MARIANA: Come on in. Thanks for meeting us here. 376 00:15:18,209 --> 00:15:20,753 'Cause I know you want us to disguise your identities. 377 00:15:20,753 --> 00:15:24,507 So, we actually got all these masks here for you. 378 00:15:24,507 --> 00:15:25,675 BEE: That's more me. 379 00:15:25,675 --> 00:15:27,343 MARIANA: That's a real pretty one. 380 00:15:27,343 --> 00:15:28,886 It's funny because when I looked at them 381 00:15:28,886 --> 00:15:29,929 and I was trying to figure out 382 00:15:29,929 --> 00:15:32,181 which one I would wear if it was me, 383 00:15:32,181 --> 00:15:34,100 I changed my mind about three times. 384 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:35,726 WOMAN: Right. 385 00:15:35,726 --> 00:15:36,936 BEE: Perfect. 386 00:15:36,936 --> 00:15:38,396 WOMAN: A little bit, here, over the... 387 00:15:38,396 --> 00:15:41,315 BEE: Uh‐uh. I like this. 388 00:15:41,315 --> 00:15:42,859 MARIANA: So, we're very close to Figueroa, 389 00:15:42,859 --> 00:15:46,737 which is one of the most famous tracks or blades in Los Angeles. 390 00:15:46,737 --> 00:15:48,739 Have you guys ever been out there? 391 00:15:48,739 --> 00:15:50,241 NINA: I have. BEE: Yeah. 392 00:15:50,241 --> 00:15:51,826 MARIANA: Do you think that a lot of the women that are working 393 00:15:51,826 --> 00:15:55,079 out on the blade, the track, they all have pimps? 394 00:15:55,079 --> 00:15:57,331 BEE: I say 80% of them do. 395 00:15:57,331 --> 00:15:58,916 NINA: Yeah. HONEY: I say, yeah. 396 00:15:58,916 --> 00:16:00,751 MARIANA: Did you have a pimp? 397 00:16:00,751 --> 00:16:02,211 NINA: When I first started out, no. 398 00:16:02,211 --> 00:16:05,464 I was just, "Hey, let's get away." 399 00:16:05,464 --> 00:16:06,465 You know what I mean? 400 00:16:06,465 --> 00:16:07,967 But I did try it out. 401 00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:11,762 Like, guys wanted me to be they ho. 402 00:16:11,762 --> 00:16:14,348 And, you know, I'll hang around them 403 00:16:14,348 --> 00:16:15,975 or kick it with their female 404 00:16:15,975 --> 00:16:17,476 and see how their environment was, 405 00:16:17,476 --> 00:16:19,145 and it just wasn't for me. 406 00:16:19,145 --> 00:16:21,772 It was a lot of violence. It was a lot of jealousy. 407 00:16:21,772 --> 00:16:24,442 I didn't see where the money was going. 408 00:16:24,442 --> 00:16:26,652 MARIANA: Why do you think other women do it, then? 409 00:16:26,652 --> 00:16:28,070 NINA: Daddy issues. 410 00:16:28,070 --> 00:16:30,781 Seeking attention, might've been molested. 411 00:16:30,781 --> 00:16:33,826 Might feel that they need to be valued by a man 412 00:16:33,826 --> 00:16:36,412 and not really know they value for they self. 413 00:16:36,412 --> 00:16:37,830 HONEY: Yeah, there's a lot of people 414 00:16:37,830 --> 00:16:39,665 that grow up in broken homes. 415 00:16:39,665 --> 00:16:42,877 Not having that father figure is like a huge part 416 00:16:42,877 --> 00:16:45,129 in a young girl's life. 417 00:16:45,129 --> 00:16:48,549 When you don't seek and get that love that you deserve, 418 00:16:48,549 --> 00:16:50,551 it pushes you to a whole 'nother state 419 00:16:50,551 --> 00:16:52,637 that you can't really explain or describe. 420 00:16:52,637 --> 00:16:54,430 You just feel the pain. 421 00:16:54,430 --> 00:16:56,432 MARIANA: Do you think that the pimps know that 422 00:16:56,432 --> 00:16:58,184 and they exploit that? They go after those... 423 00:16:58,184 --> 00:16:59,769 HONEY: Yeah, that's how they abuse you. 424 00:16:59,769 --> 00:17:01,687 That's how they get you to never leave. 425 00:17:01,687 --> 00:17:04,649 And that's why most girls that's my age, 426 00:17:04,649 --> 00:17:09,779 they get stuck and they live like that for a very long time. 427 00:17:09,779 --> 00:17:12,073 MARIANA: The more we talk, the more I realize 428 00:17:12,073 --> 00:17:15,952 how many different ways women are pulled onto the streets. 429 00:17:15,952 --> 00:17:17,995 This is a woman we'll call Bee. 430 00:17:17,995 --> 00:17:20,539 Prostitution is not her day job; 431 00:17:20,539 --> 00:17:24,001 just something she does after her shifts as a nurse. 432 00:17:24,001 --> 00:17:25,753 BEE: Paying for school. 433 00:17:25,753 --> 00:17:28,798 So it was, like, I'm doing it anyway. 434 00:17:28,798 --> 00:17:29,966 Why not? 435 00:17:29,966 --> 00:17:32,802 I mean, I'm not ashamed, I'm not ashamed of it. 436 00:17:32,802 --> 00:17:34,595 So it's like it ain't no need to be ashamed. 437 00:17:34,595 --> 00:17:36,430 Everybody having sex. 438 00:17:36,430 --> 00:17:39,725 Don't you ever fantasize about being a stripper? 439 00:17:39,725 --> 00:17:41,310 MARIANA: Yeah, see, this is the part where I'm not sure 440 00:17:41,310 --> 00:17:42,520 if I should be nodding or not. 441 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:45,439 BEE: Exactly. (laughs) 442 00:17:45,439 --> 00:17:47,900 MARIANA: Honey says she works primarily with clients 443 00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:49,694 from the business world. 444 00:17:49,694 --> 00:17:51,779 HONEY: I'm very high priced. 445 00:17:51,779 --> 00:17:55,408 I mean, I make a lot of money doing what I'm doing. 446 00:17:55,408 --> 00:17:59,537 MARIANA: She says she can make as much as $20,000 a week. 447 00:17:59,537 --> 00:18:03,332 But all that money comes at a high personal cost. 448 00:18:03,332 --> 00:18:04,625 HONEY: So I had a friend, 449 00:18:04,625 --> 00:18:07,295 and her father, he was a drug dealer and a pimp. 450 00:18:07,295 --> 00:18:09,380 My mother was never around, so, you know, 451 00:18:09,380 --> 00:18:11,549 I always spent a lot of time at her house. 452 00:18:11,549 --> 00:18:16,053 And her dad, you know, he would always hit on me and touch me. 453 00:18:16,053 --> 00:18:19,640 But, I never told anyone, I didn't have anyone around, so. 454 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:21,017 MARIANA: How old were you? 455 00:18:21,017 --> 00:18:22,685 HONEY: Um, I was 12. 456 00:18:22,685 --> 00:18:23,894 MARIANA: I'm sorry if I'm gonna ask you this, 457 00:18:23,894 --> 00:18:25,855 and tell me if you don't want to answer 458 00:18:25,855 --> 00:18:27,398 or if you don't even want the question, 459 00:18:27,398 --> 00:18:30,568 we can take it out, but did he rape you? 460 00:18:30,568 --> 00:18:32,612 HONEY: Yes, he did. 461 00:18:32,612 --> 00:18:33,738 MARIANA: When you were 12? 462 00:18:33,738 --> 00:18:36,490 HONEY: Yes. 463 00:18:36,490 --> 00:18:38,367 MARIANA: And then how did it progress from there? 464 00:18:38,367 --> 00:18:41,621 HONEY: He told me like, "It's okay if you do it for me. 465 00:18:41,621 --> 00:18:43,539 I'm not gonna judge you. No one's gonna judge you. 466 00:18:43,539 --> 00:18:44,707 Don't tell anybody." 467 00:18:44,707 --> 00:18:46,000 So, you know, I always kept it a secret, 468 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,002 like no one ever knew what I did. 469 00:18:48,002 --> 00:18:49,420 MARIANA: And how did he convince you 470 00:18:49,420 --> 00:18:52,548 that you should be selling your body out to other men? 471 00:18:52,548 --> 00:18:54,175 HONEY: I didn't have a mother and a father around, 472 00:18:54,175 --> 00:18:56,010 so I grew up thinking that it was okay, 473 00:18:56,010 --> 00:18:57,428 you know, to sell my body. 474 00:18:57,428 --> 00:18:59,096 I was young, I was naive, 475 00:18:59,096 --> 00:19:02,808 like, you tell me it's okay and I just believed you. 476 00:19:02,808 --> 00:19:04,435 MARIANA: He was a pimp. HONEY: Yes. 477 00:19:04,435 --> 00:19:06,062 MARIANA: He had several women working for him? 478 00:19:06,062 --> 00:19:07,813 HONEY: Yes. MARIANA: How many? 479 00:19:07,813 --> 00:19:09,732 HONEY: About five of us. 480 00:19:09,732 --> 00:19:11,150 MARIANA: All of them as young as you? 481 00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:12,443 HONEY: Yeah. 482 00:19:12,443 --> 00:19:14,362 MARIANA: So they were all between 12... 483 00:19:14,362 --> 00:19:17,615 HONEY: 12 to like 15, no older than that. 484 00:19:17,615 --> 00:19:21,786 MARIANA: After four years, Honey finally escaped. 485 00:19:21,786 --> 00:19:23,746 Did he do any time in jail or anything? 486 00:19:23,746 --> 00:19:26,123 HONEY: No. I didn't press any charges, nothing like that. 487 00:19:26,123 --> 00:19:27,917 I just wanted to get away. 488 00:19:27,917 --> 00:19:29,335 MARIANA: One of the things that we hear a lot 489 00:19:29,335 --> 00:19:32,296 is how women that have pimps, even when they're abusive, 490 00:19:32,296 --> 00:19:33,756 that they just don't want to talk to the police, 491 00:19:33,756 --> 00:19:35,049 they don't want to testify. 492 00:19:35,049 --> 00:19:37,593 They just want to leave that behind. 493 00:19:37,593 --> 00:19:39,970 HONEY: Snitches get stitches, so if you tell, 494 00:19:39,970 --> 00:19:41,597 people will put a bounty on your head, 495 00:19:41,597 --> 00:19:43,140 and they don't care how much it costs. 496 00:19:43,140 --> 00:19:45,017 MARIANA: Right. That's what they say? 497 00:19:45,017 --> 00:19:46,727 HONEY: The lingo. Mm‐hmm. 498 00:19:46,727 --> 00:19:48,729 MARIANA: Meaning that they will beat you up if you talk? 499 00:19:48,729 --> 00:19:50,064 HONEY: Right. 500 00:19:50,064 --> 00:19:53,401 And they'll do it, they'll make sure it get done. 501 00:19:53,401 --> 00:19:55,653 NINA: Once you in it, it's hard to escape. 502 00:19:55,653 --> 00:19:57,988 It's always gonna come back to you. 503 00:19:57,988 --> 00:20:02,034 Once you turn a good girl bad, it's hard to turn back good. 504 00:20:04,412 --> 00:20:05,955 MARIANA: After the interview, 505 00:20:05,955 --> 00:20:11,085 Nina tells me she knows everyone on the streets, pimps included. 506 00:20:11,085 --> 00:20:14,630 She makes some introductions, I trade some texts, 507 00:20:14,630 --> 00:20:17,216 and it looks like it's all about to happen... 508 00:20:17,216 --> 00:20:18,467 until it doesn't. 509 00:20:18,467 --> 00:20:20,511 (text message tone) 510 00:20:20,511 --> 00:20:22,471 We've been in three different locations so far 511 00:20:22,471 --> 00:20:25,683 just today alone, waiting for these pimps to show up. 512 00:20:25,683 --> 00:20:28,185 (text message tone) 513 00:20:28,185 --> 00:20:29,186 They tell us they're coming, 514 00:20:29,186 --> 00:20:30,771 they tell us they're on their way. 515 00:20:30,771 --> 00:20:33,190 We get everything set up and we wait and wait and wait, 516 00:20:33,190 --> 00:20:36,235 and then last minute, they either don't show up 517 00:20:36,235 --> 00:20:38,195 or they text us telling us they can't come, 518 00:20:38,195 --> 00:20:41,490 or they're, you know, unsure whether we're police, 519 00:20:41,490 --> 00:20:42,908 and they don't feel comfortable. 520 00:20:42,908 --> 00:20:45,077 (text message tone) He just bailed. 521 00:20:45,077 --> 00:20:46,704 He's not coming anymore. 522 00:20:46,704 --> 00:20:47,955 (text message tone) 523 00:20:47,955 --> 00:20:50,916 We actually just got a text from this one guy 524 00:20:50,916 --> 00:20:53,085 who says he's on 54th and Western. 525 00:20:53,085 --> 00:20:54,086 He's on the corner. 526 00:20:54,086 --> 00:20:56,213 He told us he'd be waiting for us. 527 00:20:56,213 --> 00:20:58,340 We have no idea what we're walking into, 528 00:20:58,340 --> 00:21:00,301 who we're meeting with exactly. 529 00:21:00,301 --> 00:21:04,180 But we're hoping that at least there's somebody there. 530 00:21:04,180 --> 00:21:07,099 The process is frustrating. 531 00:21:07,099 --> 00:21:08,976 I've had easier times getting access 532 00:21:08,976 --> 00:21:11,604 to gunrunners and drug lords. 533 00:21:11,604 --> 00:21:14,690 But I'm realizing this black market is different 534 00:21:14,690 --> 00:21:16,192 and darker. 535 00:21:16,192 --> 00:21:17,359 (siren) 536 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,361 Okay. So, this is it. 537 00:21:19,361 --> 00:21:23,240 We're in a parking lot of a laundromat. 538 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,910 This is where he told us to meet him. 539 00:21:25,910 --> 00:21:28,746 No surprise, he's not there. 540 00:21:28,746 --> 00:21:31,332 It could be that he's just looking at us from somewhere 541 00:21:31,332 --> 00:21:34,043 and checking us out to make sure that we're not cops. 542 00:21:34,043 --> 00:21:36,754 In which case it might be a good idea if I get out of the car 543 00:21:36,754 --> 00:21:39,173 and just go walk around and tell him 544 00:21:39,173 --> 00:21:42,092 I'm the woman with the red vest or something. 545 00:21:50,559 --> 00:21:51,435 What's that? 546 00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:56,190 MARIANA: No, taking pictures of me. They're filming me. 547 00:21:59,443 --> 00:22:00,528 MARIANA: Yeah, I don't know. 548 00:22:00,528 --> 00:22:01,821 I mean, I think cameras down for now, 549 00:22:01,821 --> 00:22:03,697 because they're getting more and more upset. 550 00:22:03,697 --> 00:22:04,990 MAN: Really? MARIANA: Yeah. 551 00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:06,408 (text message tone) 552 00:22:06,408 --> 00:22:10,204 MARIANA: Okay, come around the corner to 1609, duh duh duh. 553 00:22:10,204 --> 00:22:12,373 Okay, we got an address. 554 00:22:12,373 --> 00:22:15,292 Let's see what happens now. 555 00:22:15,292 --> 00:22:18,420 From Western, we turn into a residential neighborhood 556 00:22:18,420 --> 00:22:20,631 and make our way to the address. 557 00:22:22,591 --> 00:22:25,344 Finally, after months of trying, 558 00:22:25,344 --> 00:22:30,224 here I am, looking into the dark shades of a working pimp. 559 00:22:38,274 --> 00:22:45,573 ♪ ♪ 560 00:22:45,573 --> 00:22:46,949 MARIANA: After months of trying, 561 00:22:46,949 --> 00:22:51,287 I'm finally face to face with a working pimp. 562 00:22:51,287 --> 00:22:54,582 He wants me to call him Chill, 563 00:22:54,582 --> 00:22:59,128 and this is his business partner, Lady P. 564 00:22:59,128 --> 00:23:01,922 I know that when we were texting back and forth, 565 00:23:01,922 --> 00:23:03,966 you were, you didn't want to give us 566 00:23:03,966 --> 00:23:05,926 the right address immediately. 567 00:23:05,926 --> 00:23:07,887 So you weren't sure if we were police, essentially? 568 00:23:07,887 --> 00:23:09,263 CHILL: Absolutely. 569 00:23:09,263 --> 00:23:11,015 Because of the business that we're in. 570 00:23:11,015 --> 00:23:12,057 If you're even claiming 571 00:23:12,057 --> 00:23:14,018 that you're in this part of the business, 572 00:23:14,018 --> 00:23:15,644 they've changed (bleep), 573 00:23:15,644 --> 00:23:18,939 so now instead of just some regular (bleep) 574 00:23:18,939 --> 00:23:21,066 where pimping is pimping, no. 575 00:23:21,066 --> 00:23:24,820 What we're doing now is considered human trafficking, 576 00:23:24,820 --> 00:23:28,699 and that (bleep) is completely different from what pimping is. 577 00:23:28,699 --> 00:23:30,576 MARIANA: So tell me what is pimping about. 578 00:23:30,576 --> 00:23:32,745 CHILL: It's about choice. 579 00:23:32,745 --> 00:23:34,955 It's they see the flash, they see the gold, 580 00:23:34,955 --> 00:23:37,416 they see the money, they see the cars. 581 00:23:37,416 --> 00:23:40,085 Every time you turn on a radio, what do you hear? 582 00:23:40,085 --> 00:23:41,629 Oh, it's some rapper dude talking about 583 00:23:41,629 --> 00:23:44,924 how he got a bunch of bitches and all this other (bleep). 584 00:23:44,924 --> 00:23:46,258 So what do they want? 585 00:23:46,258 --> 00:23:47,801 They want that rapper dude. 586 00:23:47,801 --> 00:23:51,263 They see the Ferrari, the Lamborghini, all that (bleep). 587 00:23:51,263 --> 00:23:52,431 They want that (bleep). 588 00:23:52,431 --> 00:23:53,974 What's next to a rapper? 589 00:23:53,974 --> 00:23:57,519 (bleep) A pimp! Why not? 590 00:23:57,519 --> 00:24:00,105 He can get you everything you want, easy. 591 00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:01,899 Drugs, sex, rock and roll. 592 00:24:01,899 --> 00:24:03,984 That's what it is. 593 00:24:03,984 --> 00:24:05,611 MARIANA: That may be the way pimps like Chill 594 00:24:05,611 --> 00:24:07,571 view the lifestyle, 595 00:24:07,571 --> 00:24:10,407 but I imagine the reality is far more complicated 596 00:24:10,407 --> 00:24:12,910 for the women working for him. 597 00:24:12,910 --> 00:24:14,328 How do you find the girls? 598 00:24:14,328 --> 00:24:15,412 LADY P: Clubs. 599 00:24:15,412 --> 00:24:17,122 They see us hanging out. 600 00:24:17,122 --> 00:24:18,415 We're in the VIP section 601 00:24:18,415 --> 00:24:20,668 and we're drinking and we're having fun. 602 00:24:20,668 --> 00:24:22,419 Of course they don't want to be sitting over there 603 00:24:22,419 --> 00:24:25,089 with normal people, they want to come to the VIP. 604 00:24:25,089 --> 00:24:26,757 "Hey, girl, you want to come back with us?" 605 00:24:26,757 --> 00:24:27,758 MARIANA: Who says that? 606 00:24:27,758 --> 00:24:29,218 LADY P: I do. 607 00:24:29,218 --> 00:24:31,053 They come back. 608 00:24:31,053 --> 00:24:35,099 They see the glitz, the glamour, the gold, the cars, the bikes. 609 00:24:35,099 --> 00:24:38,268 They want to smoke weed, do powder, ecstasy. 610 00:24:38,268 --> 00:24:40,104 We have all that around. 611 00:24:40,104 --> 00:24:41,939 Couple of days after they've been there, 612 00:24:41,939 --> 00:24:45,067 okay, now you got to come up with some money. 613 00:24:45,067 --> 00:24:47,236 CHILL: Bills got to get (bleep) paid. 614 00:24:47,236 --> 00:24:49,029 You got a choice at that point. 615 00:24:49,029 --> 00:24:51,865 You can say, "I'm cool. (bleep) that, I'm out." 616 00:24:51,865 --> 00:24:56,453 99.9% of the time, these young (bleep) are gonna be like, 617 00:24:56,453 --> 00:25:00,165 "Hey, I got (bleep) weed, I got ecstasy, 618 00:25:00,165 --> 00:25:02,292 I got every (bleep) thing I want, 619 00:25:02,292 --> 00:25:06,380 and I can get some money out of this? Why not?" 620 00:25:06,380 --> 00:25:07,548 MARIANA: Is it really that high, 621 00:25:07,548 --> 00:25:09,591 like, that amount of girls, the majority? 622 00:25:09,591 --> 00:25:10,843 LADY P: It's not like you're going out 623 00:25:10,843 --> 00:25:13,762 looking for the classiest of females, 624 00:25:13,762 --> 00:25:16,765 you know, you want the ones that are "ahhh," turnt up. 625 00:25:16,765 --> 00:25:18,058 CHILL: Or keeps looking over at us. 626 00:25:18,058 --> 00:25:19,476 LADY P: Keeps looking over. You can tell. 627 00:25:19,476 --> 00:25:21,228 CHILL: Just keep on (bleep) eyeing and watching. 628 00:25:21,228 --> 00:25:23,397 She done already been spotted. 629 00:25:23,397 --> 00:25:25,274 Over here, we just spotted her. 630 00:25:25,274 --> 00:25:26,316 It's a wrap. 631 00:25:26,316 --> 00:25:30,195 At that point the choice is made. 632 00:25:30,195 --> 00:25:31,697 MARIANA: Chill says that his women 633 00:25:31,697 --> 00:25:33,949 don't work out on the streets. 634 00:25:33,949 --> 00:25:36,076 They find their customers online 635 00:25:36,076 --> 00:25:38,203 where they can charge a higher price. 636 00:25:38,203 --> 00:25:41,498 So when people call you a sex trafficker or human trafficker, 637 00:25:41,498 --> 00:25:43,042 what do you think of that? 638 00:25:43,042 --> 00:25:44,501 CHILL: I think it's (bleep). 639 00:25:44,501 --> 00:25:46,462 If you go talk to my bitches and ask them what they think, 640 00:25:46,462 --> 00:25:48,088 "Am I sex trafficking?" 641 00:25:48,088 --> 00:25:50,924 They'll be like, "Yeah, he's trafficking me. 642 00:25:50,924 --> 00:25:55,095 To (bleep) Miami, to (bleep) Vegas, to Florida." 643 00:25:55,095 --> 00:25:56,930 MARIANA: Do you do that? Do you transport them? 644 00:26:09,985 --> 00:26:12,071 CHILL: ...and it's gonna be like cha‐ching! 645 00:26:15,699 --> 00:26:17,284 MARIANA: It's shocking how little is known 646 00:26:17,284 --> 00:26:20,537 about the underground sex economy. 647 00:26:20,537 --> 00:26:24,500 One recent study estimates that illicit sex in the U. S. 648 00:26:24,500 --> 00:26:29,630 brings in $5.7 billion a year through street prostitution, 649 00:26:29,630 --> 00:26:31,548 online escort services, 650 00:26:31,548 --> 00:26:35,469 residential brothels, and massage parlors. 651 00:26:35,469 --> 00:26:37,179 But there's no reliable data 652 00:26:37,179 --> 00:26:40,390 about how many pimps and traffickers are operating 653 00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:43,560 or how many victims may be out there. 654 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:47,189 It's rare to get an inside look at a pimp's operation, 655 00:26:47,189 --> 00:26:50,192 which is why I want to see others. 656 00:26:50,192 --> 00:26:53,153 Over the next week, I connect with two more pimps 657 00:26:53,153 --> 00:26:55,614 who are currently in the game. 658 00:26:55,614 --> 00:27:00,077 At a cheap motel in Inglewood, I meet Jack Knife, 659 00:27:00,077 --> 00:27:01,954 and after a bit of convincing, 660 00:27:01,954 --> 00:27:07,876 I sit down with Gotti late night at a bar near the airport. 661 00:27:07,876 --> 00:27:09,837 So these women, that you meet them on the street 662 00:27:09,837 --> 00:27:11,046 or how do you recruit them? 663 00:27:11,046 --> 00:27:12,506 How do you get them to work for you? 664 00:27:12,506 --> 00:27:14,007 JACK KNIFE: On the street, 9 times out of 10. 665 00:27:14,007 --> 00:27:15,801 Sometimes Instagram, you know what I'm saying? 666 00:27:15,801 --> 00:27:18,262 Sometimes Facebook, it depends. 667 00:27:24,059 --> 00:27:26,436 MARIANA: What do you say to them? 668 00:27:26,436 --> 00:27:27,646 GOTTI: How are you doing, beautiful? 669 00:27:27,646 --> 00:27:29,481 You mind if I hang out with you while you shop? 670 00:27:29,481 --> 00:27:32,526 And, uh, we can talk and get to know each other. 671 00:27:32,526 --> 00:27:34,528 We hang out, become friends, 672 00:27:34,528 --> 00:27:38,365 and talk about how we can make money, 673 00:27:38,365 --> 00:27:43,453 and if they want to go along with the situation, 674 00:27:43,453 --> 00:27:44,746 we go do this. 675 00:27:44,746 --> 00:27:45,873 MARIANA: You butter them up? 676 00:27:45,873 --> 00:27:46,874 JACK KNIFE: Of course I butter them up. 677 00:27:46,874 --> 00:27:48,125 I got to tell them they pretty, 678 00:27:48,125 --> 00:27:50,043 so they can get out there and get this money. 679 00:27:50,043 --> 00:27:52,296 They got to be out here with a big head, 680 00:27:52,296 --> 00:27:55,424 so they can get out here and get this bread. 681 00:27:55,424 --> 00:27:56,508 MARIANA: Is there a particular kind of girl 682 00:27:56,508 --> 00:27:58,010 that you're looking for? 683 00:27:58,010 --> 00:28:01,638 GOTTI: Someone that's not showing fear. 684 00:28:01,638 --> 00:28:04,308 Ready to go. 685 00:28:04,308 --> 00:28:08,270 MICKEY: An easy target would be, let's say Jan Brady. 686 00:28:08,270 --> 00:28:09,354 If you're familiar with The Brady Bunch, 687 00:28:09,354 --> 00:28:10,898 she's the middle child, 688 00:28:10,898 --> 00:28:13,108 and she's the one that gets the least amount of attention. 689 00:28:13,108 --> 00:28:15,527 She's the one that feels the most unattractive. 690 00:28:15,527 --> 00:28:17,487 I would show Jan the majority of the attention 691 00:28:17,487 --> 00:28:21,241 and point out how Jan is much prettier than her sister Marcia. 692 00:28:21,241 --> 00:28:23,410 And Jan, when she leaves my presence, 693 00:28:23,410 --> 00:28:26,330 she goes back to being ugly in that house. 694 00:28:26,330 --> 00:28:28,832 So her self‐esteem, her sense of empowerment, 695 00:28:28,832 --> 00:28:32,586 her will to be number one, or the fact that she is number one, 696 00:28:32,586 --> 00:28:35,297 is only present when I'm around. 697 00:28:35,297 --> 00:28:39,051 So, she's gonna be around me more and more. 698 00:28:39,051 --> 00:28:40,510 MARIANA: I try to pin them down 699 00:28:40,510 --> 00:28:44,556 on the financials of their business, but they're evasive. 700 00:28:44,556 --> 00:28:47,851 Each admits to working a certain number of women. 701 00:28:47,851 --> 00:28:49,478 LADY P: I'd say about seven. 702 00:28:49,478 --> 00:28:52,147 JACK KNIFE: Six is the lowest, eight or nine at the most. 703 00:28:52,147 --> 00:28:53,482 GOTTI: Right now, I got four. 704 00:28:53,482 --> 00:28:55,692 MARIANA: These four girls work full‐time for you? 705 00:28:55,692 --> 00:28:58,570 GOTTI: Yes. They're only for me. 706 00:28:58,570 --> 00:29:00,697 MARIANA: And each takes a certain percentage 707 00:29:00,697 --> 00:29:02,199 of the earnings. 708 00:29:02,199 --> 00:29:04,117 Do they keep the majority or do you guys keep the majority? 709 00:29:04,117 --> 00:29:05,160 LADY P: No. We keep the majority. 710 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:06,244 MARIANA: You guys keep the majority? 711 00:29:06,244 --> 00:29:07,788 LADY P: If I'm taking care of you, 712 00:29:07,788 --> 00:29:09,122 I have to keep the majority. 713 00:29:09,122 --> 00:29:10,332 CHILL: Absolutely. 714 00:29:10,332 --> 00:29:13,377 MARIANA: Can you tell me what the percentage is? 715 00:29:13,377 --> 00:29:15,587 Is it a higher percentage for them or for you? 716 00:29:15,587 --> 00:29:16,880 GOTTI: For me. 717 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:18,256 JACK KNIFE: It's my money. It's our money. 718 00:29:18,256 --> 00:29:19,675 This is a "our" thing. 719 00:29:19,675 --> 00:29:21,176 So, yeah, of course, you gonna get some money. 720 00:29:21,176 --> 00:29:22,552 I'm gonna break you off something. 721 00:29:22,552 --> 00:29:24,262 Or I'm gonna go buy you something or whatever. 722 00:29:24,262 --> 00:29:27,557 But you ain't gonna get no money every single time. 723 00:29:27,557 --> 00:29:30,936 MARIANA: It's crazy to me; a woman sells her body, 724 00:29:30,936 --> 00:29:34,314 and these pimps feel entitled to the profits. 725 00:29:34,314 --> 00:29:36,441 And we're talking serious money here. 726 00:29:36,441 --> 00:29:39,069 A Justice Department study found that pimps can make 727 00:29:39,069 --> 00:29:43,156 between $5,000 and $30,000 a week. 728 00:29:43,156 --> 00:29:47,202 It's no surprise how some of them maintain control. 729 00:29:47,202 --> 00:29:50,080 Have you ever beat your women? 730 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,791 GOTTI: Uhh... 731 00:29:52,791 --> 00:29:56,294 Next question. 732 00:29:56,294 --> 00:29:58,964 MARIANA: I'll take that as a yes, then. 733 00:29:58,964 --> 00:30:03,093 What leads a person to do that? What led you? 734 00:30:03,093 --> 00:30:05,887 GOTTI: My case, money was stolen. 735 00:30:05,887 --> 00:30:07,222 JACK KNIFE: If they get out of line, 736 00:30:07,222 --> 00:30:09,474 if they look like they finna say something stupid, 737 00:30:09,474 --> 00:30:10,892 knack‐knack, slapped up, 738 00:30:10,892 --> 00:30:13,061 you might get punched up, whatever. 739 00:30:13,061 --> 00:30:15,355 (bleep) might cut you, whatever. 740 00:30:15,355 --> 00:30:16,440 MARIANA: Have you done that? 741 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:17,607 JACK KNIFE: Me? 742 00:30:17,607 --> 00:30:20,444 Female ran away, once or twice, 743 00:30:20,444 --> 00:30:22,821 I cut the bottom of her foot. 744 00:30:22,821 --> 00:30:24,364 MARIANA: You cut, with a knife? 745 00:30:24,364 --> 00:30:26,658 JACK KNIFE: The bottom of her foot. Nah, not with no knife. 746 00:30:26,658 --> 00:30:28,827 I cut the bottom of her foot with a razor. 747 00:30:28,827 --> 00:30:30,037 MARIANA: With a razor? 748 00:30:30,037 --> 00:30:31,329 JACK KNIFE: What is you running away for? 749 00:30:31,329 --> 00:30:33,123 What is you doing? You got my money and all that. 750 00:30:33,123 --> 00:30:34,875 What you trying to do, rob me? 751 00:30:34,875 --> 00:30:36,209 No. What is you doing? 752 00:30:36,209 --> 00:30:40,172 When I did that, that let all the bitches know. 753 00:30:40,172 --> 00:30:41,798 So, I didn't have to do that no more. 754 00:30:41,798 --> 00:30:43,508 MARIANA: So if they want to leave, you don't let them leave? 755 00:30:43,508 --> 00:30:45,927 JACK KNIFE: They can leave. They can leave. 756 00:30:45,927 --> 00:30:47,971 'Cause I'm not holding you, I'm not holding you at gunpoint. 757 00:30:47,971 --> 00:30:49,473 MARIANA: You're not, but you've admitted to... 758 00:30:49,473 --> 00:30:50,807 JACK KNIFE: And I don't have you handcuffed. 759 00:30:50,807 --> 00:30:52,267 MARIANA: You say it's a choice for them, but... 760 00:30:52,267 --> 00:30:54,144 JACK KNIFE: Yeah. 761 00:30:54,144 --> 00:30:55,520 MARIANA: After you just told me what you did, 762 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:57,981 I'm sure they're scared to death of leaving. 763 00:30:57,981 --> 00:30:59,566 JACK KNIFE: She can still leave, I told her. 764 00:30:59,566 --> 00:31:03,570 I just told her, if you leave, you gonna remember me, though. 765 00:31:03,570 --> 00:31:05,030 MARIANA: Is she still with you? 766 00:31:05,030 --> 00:31:06,448 JACK KNIFE: Yeah, she's still with me. 767 00:31:06,448 --> 00:31:08,033 MARIANA: She still works for you? 768 00:31:08,033 --> 00:31:09,618 JACK KNIFE: To this day. 769 00:31:09,618 --> 00:31:10,994 You understand, 770 00:31:10,994 --> 00:31:12,537 it's either you gonna (bleep) with me or you not. 771 00:31:12,537 --> 00:31:13,830 MARIANA: So, so, you... 772 00:31:13,830 --> 00:31:15,665 JACK KNIFE: Hold on, hold on. MARIANA: Go ahead. 773 00:31:15,665 --> 00:31:16,666 JACK KNIFE: There's pimps out her 774 00:31:16,666 --> 00:31:18,794 doing way worse (bleep) than that. 775 00:31:18,794 --> 00:31:20,253 Killing bitches. 776 00:31:20,253 --> 00:31:26,384 Out here kidnapping bitches, for real, tying (bleep) up. 777 00:31:26,384 --> 00:31:28,386 "Nah, you can't go nowhere against your will." 778 00:31:28,386 --> 00:31:30,931 "Bitch, don't talk to your family or none of that." 779 00:31:30,931 --> 00:31:33,100 It's bad out here. 780 00:31:33,100 --> 00:31:36,561 MARIANA: The reality is bleak and all too common, 781 00:31:36,561 --> 00:31:40,482 but there are people out there trying to make a difference. 782 00:31:40,482 --> 00:31:41,483 Okay, be careful with the cameras 783 00:31:41,483 --> 00:31:43,652 'cause he's right in front of us. 784 00:31:43,652 --> 00:31:46,488 (engine revving) 785 00:32:01,086 --> 00:32:04,506 MARIANA: I'm in Los Angeles, not that far from where I live, 786 00:32:04,506 --> 00:32:08,677 trying to understand how pimps justify what they do. 787 00:32:08,677 --> 00:32:11,304 I think people listening to this would say that what you're doing 788 00:32:11,304 --> 00:32:14,975 is exploiting women when they're at the worst of their worst. 789 00:32:14,975 --> 00:32:17,060 You either stay and you have a place to stay 790 00:32:17,060 --> 00:32:18,854 and you go out on the street and sell your body, 791 00:32:18,854 --> 00:32:20,689 or we're gonna kick you out. 792 00:32:20,689 --> 00:32:22,649 Isn't that exploitation? 793 00:32:22,649 --> 00:32:24,985 LADY P: We're not out there beating on these females, 794 00:32:24,985 --> 00:32:27,988 choking 'em out, getting them strung out on drugs. 795 00:32:27,988 --> 00:32:29,990 We don't have a white van. 796 00:32:29,990 --> 00:32:32,742 We're not about to pull up and kidnap you. 797 00:32:32,742 --> 00:32:34,578 You can always leave. 798 00:32:34,578 --> 00:32:39,082 It could be worse. You could choose worse. 799 00:32:39,082 --> 00:32:41,751 MARIANA: Experts believe that the majority of the young women 800 00:32:41,751 --> 00:32:43,712 pimps and traffickers recruit, 801 00:32:43,712 --> 00:32:46,882 maybe even as high as 60% or 70%, 802 00:32:46,882 --> 00:32:50,510 have spent time in the foster care system. 803 00:32:50,510 --> 00:32:53,597 It's a crime that preys on the most vulnerable. 804 00:32:56,516 --> 00:32:58,643 MICKEY: Nobody cares about 'em. 805 00:32:58,643 --> 00:33:00,729 They're viewed as the rejected. 806 00:33:00,729 --> 00:33:04,191 And that's what makes it so easy for a pimp to recruit them. 807 00:33:04,191 --> 00:33:07,319 I love you. I love you. 808 00:33:07,319 --> 00:33:09,070 Your mother doesn't love you because she put you out. 809 00:33:09,070 --> 00:33:10,197 Your daddy doesn't love you 810 00:33:10,197 --> 00:33:12,115 because he molested you in the first place. 811 00:33:12,115 --> 00:33:13,783 I love you. 812 00:33:19,497 --> 00:33:20,749 CHILL: If you haven't had something, 813 00:33:20,749 --> 00:33:24,377 and you're experiencing it for the first time, 814 00:33:24,377 --> 00:33:27,088 and it's beautiful, you'll take it; 815 00:33:27,088 --> 00:33:29,925 even if it's ugly. 816 00:33:29,925 --> 00:33:31,509 MARIANA: Which part of it is ugly? 817 00:33:31,509 --> 00:33:33,136 CHILL: (bleep), you tell me. 818 00:33:33,136 --> 00:33:34,971 LADY P: Selling your body. 819 00:33:34,971 --> 00:33:37,140 That's the ugly. 820 00:33:37,140 --> 00:33:38,975 That's the ugly. You're selling your body. 821 00:33:38,975 --> 00:33:40,060 MARIANA: So you do realize it's ugly, though, 822 00:33:40,060 --> 00:33:41,394 but you're still asking them to do it? 823 00:33:41,394 --> 00:33:43,939 LADY P: Yeah. But she still said yes. 824 00:33:43,939 --> 00:33:46,149 CHILL: Again, it's a (bleep) choice. 825 00:33:46,149 --> 00:33:47,275 MARIANA: I mean, but is it a choice? 826 00:33:47,275 --> 00:33:49,569 CHILL: It is. It is. 827 00:33:49,569 --> 00:33:50,946 We always have a choice. 828 00:33:50,946 --> 00:33:52,989 Everyone has a choice. 829 00:33:54,950 --> 00:33:57,619 MARIANA: Any prosecutor trying to bust a pimp like Chill 830 00:33:57,619 --> 00:33:59,037 for sex trafficking 831 00:33:59,037 --> 00:34:02,582 has to prove that he used force, fraud, or coercion 832 00:34:02,582 --> 00:34:05,710 to induce a woman into selling her body. 833 00:34:05,710 --> 00:34:09,589 That's a difficult challenge, especially when pimps like Chill 834 00:34:09,589 --> 00:34:12,717 know where the legal lines are drawn. 835 00:34:12,717 --> 00:34:15,553 I imagine that's why he and Lady P 836 00:34:15,553 --> 00:34:18,598 are so fond of that word, "choice." 837 00:34:18,598 --> 00:34:20,016 Still, these days, 838 00:34:20,016 --> 00:34:23,061 pimps know they have targets on their backs. 839 00:34:23,061 --> 00:34:24,771 They just might be surprised 840 00:34:24,771 --> 00:34:28,817 by some of the people trying to hunt them down. 841 00:34:28,817 --> 00:34:35,699 ♪ ♪ 842 00:34:35,699 --> 00:34:38,618 Why don't you want to be on camera? 843 00:34:38,618 --> 00:34:41,538 JENNA: For security reasons. 844 00:34:41,538 --> 00:34:45,041 We are gathering evidence against people 845 00:34:45,041 --> 00:34:47,711 who may in fact be criminals 846 00:34:47,711 --> 00:34:51,423 and who may in fact end up on a district attorney's target list 847 00:34:51,423 --> 00:34:52,924 because of us, 848 00:34:52,924 --> 00:34:56,886 and I wouldn't want them to come back and try to kill me. 849 00:34:56,886 --> 00:34:58,305 MARIANA: Because these are dangerous people. 850 00:34:58,305 --> 00:35:02,434 JENNA: These are dangerous people that we're dealing with. 851 00:35:02,434 --> 00:35:04,185 MARIANA: Jenna, as I'll call her, 852 00:35:04,185 --> 00:35:06,688 is a successful tech entrepreneur who lives 853 00:35:06,688 --> 00:35:10,025 in one of Silicon Valley's wealthiest ZIP codes. 854 00:35:10,025 --> 00:35:13,236 JENNA: I'll say to our donors, "You know what? We can do this." 855 00:35:13,236 --> 00:35:16,531 We have an established track record of success. 856 00:35:16,531 --> 00:35:19,576 We can find kids for under $20,000. 857 00:35:19,576 --> 00:35:21,202 I mean, what would you rather have? 858 00:35:21,202 --> 00:35:23,663 Another diamond bracelet on your wrist? 859 00:35:23,663 --> 00:35:26,708 Or would you rather be able to actually find a girl 860 00:35:26,708 --> 00:35:29,377 who's missing and save her? 861 00:35:29,377 --> 00:35:32,297 MARIANA: That's the mission of Special Operations, 862 00:35:32,297 --> 00:35:35,050 the non‐profit Jenna founded. 863 00:35:35,050 --> 00:35:37,093 There's no shortage of groups like hers 864 00:35:37,093 --> 00:35:40,805 who have taken up the cause of sex trafficking. 865 00:35:40,805 --> 00:35:44,643 But Special Operations is more aggressive than most. 866 00:35:44,643 --> 00:35:46,978 It not only rescues girls in trouble, 867 00:35:46,978 --> 00:35:50,023 it also goes after their traffickers. 868 00:35:50,023 --> 00:35:53,485 JENNA: Special Operations is designed to fill in the gaps 869 00:35:53,485 --> 00:35:58,323 in society in order to solve sex trafficking crimes. 870 00:35:58,323 --> 00:36:00,533 The way the system works right now, 871 00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:03,078 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 872 00:36:03,078 --> 00:36:05,330 sends law enforcement half a million tips. 873 00:36:05,330 --> 00:36:07,832 Polaris, the sex trafficking hotlines, 874 00:36:07,832 --> 00:36:09,918 sends thousands of tips. 875 00:36:09,918 --> 00:36:11,544 They can be months old 876 00:36:11,544 --> 00:36:14,589 by the time they land in somebody's file folder. 877 00:36:14,589 --> 00:36:17,342 MAN: 10‐4, I'm in front of the hotel, copy. 878 00:36:17,342 --> 00:36:20,136 MARIANA: Jenna has connected me to her lead investigator, 879 00:36:20,136 --> 00:36:23,139 a former cop named Mike Ferrari. 880 00:36:23,139 --> 00:36:25,058 How long have you been after this guy? 881 00:36:25,058 --> 00:36:29,604 MIKE FERRARI: It's been on and off for about a year. 882 00:36:29,604 --> 00:36:31,272 MAN: I only have visual on Mark. 883 00:36:31,272 --> 00:36:33,858 I don't have visual of the subject. 884 00:36:33,858 --> 00:36:35,985 MARIANA: Mike's team, which consists of three other 885 00:36:35,985 --> 00:36:39,531 private investigators, each in their own car, 886 00:36:39,531 --> 00:36:43,576 is currently working a case involving a man we'll call Ray. 887 00:36:43,576 --> 00:36:45,870 MIKE: He has a history of trafficking minors. 888 00:36:45,870 --> 00:36:47,956 We know this guy is a serial predator. 889 00:36:47,956 --> 00:36:50,417 we've been trying to develop a pattern on him 890 00:36:50,417 --> 00:36:53,712 to find a location where there are certainly other victims. 891 00:36:53,712 --> 00:36:55,463 Because each time there was an arrest made, 892 00:36:55,463 --> 00:36:56,840 there was more than one victim. 893 00:36:56,840 --> 00:36:57,841 MARIANA: How many girls is it believed 894 00:36:57,841 --> 00:36:59,384 that he has working for him? 895 00:36:59,384 --> 00:37:03,346 MIKE: We know of three discreet victims that we've spoken with, 896 00:37:03,346 --> 00:37:08,226 um, but each one of them has talked about multiple girls. 897 00:37:08,226 --> 00:37:12,647 One time, when one of the 15‐year‐olds was recovered, 898 00:37:12,647 --> 00:37:15,066 there were three other girls that time. 899 00:37:15,066 --> 00:37:17,068 MARIANA: As is so often the case, though, 900 00:37:17,068 --> 00:37:20,739 the victims were too scared to testify against him. 901 00:37:20,739 --> 00:37:23,658 MAN: Sir, he's gonna exit another way. 902 00:37:23,658 --> 00:37:26,202 MIKE: I've got the back entrance. 903 00:37:26,202 --> 00:37:29,330 When he does, somebody get on foot to let us know 904 00:37:29,330 --> 00:37:33,376 which way he goes out of the courtyard. 905 00:37:33,376 --> 00:37:35,587 MARIANA: Ray is expected to appear in court today 906 00:37:35,587 --> 00:37:37,297 for an unrelated charge. 907 00:37:37,297 --> 00:37:39,132 (radio chatter) 908 00:37:39,132 --> 00:37:40,717 Assuming he shows up, 909 00:37:40,717 --> 00:37:45,305 Mike and his team will use the opportunity to hop on his tail. 910 00:37:45,305 --> 00:37:48,516 Mike is convinced that Ray is still trafficking, 911 00:37:48,516 --> 00:37:50,560 but they need evidence. 912 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:53,396 MIKE: Any new information of this guy will help. 913 00:37:53,396 --> 00:37:57,901 Part of the purpose of our organization is to work on guys 914 00:37:57,901 --> 00:38:00,904 that do slip through the cracks. 915 00:38:00,904 --> 00:38:03,156 MAN: Courtyard north, that's you. 916 00:38:03,156 --> 00:38:05,825 MARIANA: So they have eyes on him, we're heading there now. 917 00:38:05,825 --> 00:38:08,661 MAN: Hey, Mark's got direct visual. Do you have visual? 918 00:38:08,661 --> 00:38:10,663 He's out on the street right now with his attorney. 919 00:38:10,663 --> 00:38:13,416 Um, across the street. 920 00:38:13,416 --> 00:38:14,501 MARIANA: Okay, here he is. 921 00:38:14,501 --> 00:38:17,086 That's him right there on that corner. 922 00:38:17,086 --> 00:38:18,296 Be careful with the cameras. 923 00:38:18,296 --> 00:38:19,631 MIKE: Yeah. 924 00:38:19,631 --> 00:38:21,883 MARIANA: Discreet, discreet. But he didn't see us. 925 00:38:21,883 --> 00:38:23,718 MAN: I got you, Mike. 926 00:38:23,718 --> 00:38:26,012 Walking down Fuller Street. 927 00:38:28,348 --> 00:38:30,642 MAN: Who has visual? 928 00:38:30,642 --> 00:38:32,435 MAN: Yes, Mark has eyes. 929 00:38:32,435 --> 00:38:35,313 MIKE: Yes, Mark's to your right. 930 00:38:35,313 --> 00:38:39,359 MARK: I'm here. I got him. He's about to drive past me. 931 00:38:39,359 --> 00:38:41,986 MARIANA: Running through red lights, left and right here. 932 00:38:41,986 --> 00:38:45,532 MAN: Hold on, trying to keep us flagged, give me a second. 933 00:38:48,326 --> 00:38:50,578 MAN: I'm behind the subject. 934 00:38:50,578 --> 00:38:53,832 MAN: I saw him one mile. 935 00:38:53,832 --> 00:38:55,333 MIKE: Okay. Stay with him. 936 00:38:55,333 --> 00:38:57,710 MAN: Mark, in number four lane. 937 00:39:05,134 --> 00:39:06,427 MIKE: Okay. Stay with him. 938 00:39:06,427 --> 00:39:08,513 MAN: Mike, too much traffic on the... 939 00:39:08,513 --> 00:39:09,848 MARIANA: I'm in the Bay Area, 940 00:39:09,848 --> 00:39:12,267 embedded with a team of private investigators, 941 00:39:12,267 --> 00:39:14,686 chasing a suspected trafficker. 942 00:39:14,686 --> 00:39:17,397 From the get‐go, he's acting suspicious, 943 00:39:17,397 --> 00:39:18,940 flying down the highway. 944 00:39:18,940 --> 00:39:19,941 Okay, be careful with the cameras, 945 00:39:19,941 --> 00:39:21,734 because he's right in front of us. 946 00:39:21,734 --> 00:39:23,945 Weaving through neighborhoods. 947 00:39:23,945 --> 00:39:26,906 MIKE: Man, I need somebody here now, guys. 948 00:39:26,906 --> 00:39:29,325 MAN: Behind you, coming up. 949 00:39:29,325 --> 00:39:30,827 MARIANA: He finally pulls into a house 950 00:39:30,827 --> 00:39:33,413 not far from Stanford University 951 00:39:33,413 --> 00:39:36,374 that the PIs know well from previous surveillance. 952 00:39:36,374 --> 00:39:37,625 MIKE: He's at Grandma's house. 953 00:39:37,625 --> 00:39:39,669 Grandma's house. Grandma's house. 954 00:39:44,799 --> 00:39:47,802 MARIANA: The day is spent keeping track of his movements. 955 00:39:47,802 --> 00:39:50,597 Where does he go? Who does he see? 956 00:39:50,597 --> 00:39:52,599 Who else might he be working with? 957 00:39:52,599 --> 00:39:55,894 MIKE: Already there's a new car that we haven't seen before, 958 00:39:55,894 --> 00:39:59,647 so it looks like we got some activity. 959 00:39:59,647 --> 00:40:01,524 MARIANA: Traffickers are known to move victims 960 00:40:01,524 --> 00:40:04,527 between different counties and even states 961 00:40:04,527 --> 00:40:09,282 to keep them disoriented and to keep law enforcement guessing. 962 00:40:09,282 --> 00:40:13,494 MIKE: This guy, he reports one address in the county 963 00:40:13,494 --> 00:40:17,665 across the bay, one address in the South Bay. 964 00:40:17,665 --> 00:40:20,293 He acquires the victims in another county, 965 00:40:20,293 --> 00:40:22,629 so you've got multiple jurisdictions involved. 966 00:40:22,629 --> 00:40:24,130 MAN: You can have something happening 967 00:40:24,130 --> 00:40:26,507 on one side of the bay, and then really, 968 00:40:26,507 --> 00:40:29,886 what, maybe four or five miles between the two? 969 00:40:29,886 --> 00:40:32,013 But there's no communication between law enforcement 970 00:40:32,013 --> 00:40:34,098 and sometimes the judicial system itself. 971 00:40:34,098 --> 00:40:36,434 MARIANA: So that makes it really hard to catch guys like this? 972 00:40:36,434 --> 00:40:38,186 MAN: Yes. 973 00:40:38,186 --> 00:40:40,271 MARIANA: Building a real case against Ray 974 00:40:40,271 --> 00:40:42,565 will take more missions like this one. 975 00:40:42,565 --> 00:40:45,568 If successful, Mike will then hand over his findings 976 00:40:45,568 --> 00:40:47,070 to law enforcement 977 00:40:47,070 --> 00:40:50,615 with the hopes they'll open their own investigation. 978 00:40:50,615 --> 00:40:53,242 But there's no guarantee. 979 00:40:53,242 --> 00:40:55,745 And all of this is to try and stop 980 00:40:55,745 --> 00:40:59,832 just one of the countless pimps and traffickers out there. 981 00:40:59,832 --> 00:41:02,877 Still, Jenna is convinced. 982 00:41:02,877 --> 00:41:05,588 JENNA: This is a crime that money and a good network 983 00:41:05,588 --> 00:41:07,256 can actually solve. 984 00:41:07,256 --> 00:41:10,301 MARIANA: Maybe that's a bit of Silicon Valley optimism. 985 00:41:10,301 --> 00:41:12,261 Or maybe it's the truth. 986 00:41:12,261 --> 00:41:15,056 But in thinking about money and resources 987 00:41:15,056 --> 00:41:17,558 and the ugly business of trafficking, 988 00:41:17,558 --> 00:41:20,603 there are other truths to consider, too. 989 00:41:20,603 --> 00:41:23,481 MICKEY: As crazy as these pimps and prostitutes are, 990 00:41:23,481 --> 00:41:26,776 they don't cross King Boulevard. 991 00:41:26,776 --> 00:41:29,904 Once you cross King Boulevard, you cross into money. 992 00:41:29,904 --> 00:41:33,366 MARIANA: To the north of King lies the campus of USC, 993 00:41:33,366 --> 00:41:36,619 with its nearly $6 billion endowments. 994 00:41:36,619 --> 00:41:39,622 To the south of King, it gets rough quick. 995 00:41:39,622 --> 00:41:41,582 MICKEY: That look like someone had dropped a bomb on it, 996 00:41:41,582 --> 00:41:43,459 like it looked war‐torn. 997 00:41:43,459 --> 00:41:46,462 MARIANA: For Mickey, this divide explains everything 998 00:41:46,462 --> 00:41:52,135 about where you end up in life; geography as destiny. 999 00:41:52,135 --> 00:41:54,095 JACK KNIFE: We growing up in a certain area 1000 00:41:54,095 --> 00:41:56,347 where we ain't got no (bleep) resources. 1001 00:41:56,347 --> 00:41:57,640 We ain't got nothin'. 1002 00:41:57,640 --> 00:41:59,517 We can't do this and that 1003 00:41:59,517 --> 00:42:02,395 like certain other races can in their areas. 1004 00:42:02,395 --> 00:42:03,896 There ain't no jobs around. 1005 00:42:03,896 --> 00:42:06,649 You got a whole community that's not getting hired, 1006 00:42:06,649 --> 00:42:10,403 and you got a lot of (bleep) that's like, "What we gonna do?" 1007 00:42:10,403 --> 00:42:13,406 CHILL: I grew up around gangbangers, pimps. 1008 00:42:13,406 --> 00:42:15,950 At 15, you're not thinking about it like that, 1009 00:42:15,950 --> 00:42:17,744 but then now it's in your face and you're like, 1010 00:42:17,744 --> 00:42:21,622 "(bleep) it, why not?" 1011 00:42:21,622 --> 00:42:23,291 LADY P: My brother was a pimp. 1012 00:42:23,291 --> 00:42:25,376 MARIANA: And so you just grew up... 1013 00:42:25,376 --> 00:42:27,420 LADY P: I grew up with it. Yup. 1014 00:42:27,420 --> 00:42:29,672 GOTTI: There was a lot of pimpin' going on. 1015 00:42:29,672 --> 00:42:31,257 MARIANA: People in your family? 1016 00:42:31,257 --> 00:42:34,552 GOTTI: A couple guys in my family were pimps. 1017 00:42:34,552 --> 00:42:35,636 MARIANA: So you think if you grew up in another neighborhood, 1018 00:42:35,636 --> 00:42:36,721 in another place... 1019 00:42:36,721 --> 00:42:37,930 JACK KNIFE: It'd be totally different. 1020 00:42:37,930 --> 00:42:39,015 MARIANA: Another city, you'd be different? 1021 00:42:39,015 --> 00:42:40,016 JACK KNIFE: It'd be totally different. 1022 00:42:40,016 --> 00:42:41,392 I grew up with everybody around me. 1023 00:42:41,392 --> 00:42:44,854 Pimps, gangbangers, thieves, murderers, jackers, 1024 00:42:44,854 --> 00:42:47,523 all these (bleep), it's like one boiling pot. 1025 00:42:47,523 --> 00:42:49,275 It's (bleep) real out here. 1026 00:42:49,275 --> 00:42:51,944 I grew up with (bleep) I thought that was right. 1027 00:42:51,944 --> 00:42:54,489 (bleep) I'm seeing as I'm growing up, 1028 00:42:54,489 --> 00:42:56,115 I'm a kid, what the (bleep)? 1029 00:42:56,115 --> 00:42:57,992 And I got people telling me it's wrong, 1030 00:42:57,992 --> 00:42:59,535 but they got the money, though. 1031 00:42:59,535 --> 00:43:01,120 Well, how can I get this money? 1032 00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:06,000 It's a (bleep) up situation, but it's a hustle. 1033 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:09,420 MARIANA: I make no excuses for these pimps. 1034 00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:12,423 But I understand Jack Knife's frustration. 1035 00:43:12,423 --> 00:43:16,385 It must be hard growing up adjacent to so much wealth 1036 00:43:16,385 --> 00:43:19,680 and having so few options. 1037 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:23,017 But what makes pimping different than other hustles 1038 00:43:23,017 --> 00:43:26,270 is that people's lives are in the balance. 1039 00:43:26,270 --> 00:43:28,022 Most often young women 1040 00:43:28,022 --> 00:43:31,234 coming from their own difficult circumstances. 1041 00:43:31,234 --> 00:43:35,154 So I'm actually surprised when Chill agrees to let me sit down 1042 00:43:35,154 --> 00:43:38,032 with one of the women who works for him. 1043 00:43:38,032 --> 00:43:39,784 When did you start escorting? 1044 00:43:39,784 --> 00:43:43,913 CANDY: About when I was 15, and I fell into the wrong guy. 1045 00:43:43,913 --> 00:43:46,207 And it was horrible. 1046 00:43:46,207 --> 00:43:48,209 And then I met Chill at a bar 1047 00:43:48,209 --> 00:43:50,711 and he just seemed like a nice guy. 1048 00:43:50,711 --> 00:43:53,714 He was so sweet, honorable. 1049 00:43:53,714 --> 00:43:56,592 He's always a man of his word. 1050 00:43:56,592 --> 00:43:59,470 He does exactly what he said he's gonna do. 1051 00:43:59,470 --> 00:44:01,722 He believed in my dreams. 1052 00:44:01,722 --> 00:44:05,560 And he was just like, "Oh," like, "I can help you." 1053 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:07,895 And he just started helping me. 1054 00:44:07,895 --> 00:44:11,023 MARIANA: I quickly realize that something feels off. 1055 00:44:11,023 --> 00:44:14,485 CANDY: He never judged me, and he just kind of took me in. 1056 00:44:14,485 --> 00:44:16,529 MARIANA: It's the most glowing review of a pimp 1057 00:44:16,529 --> 00:44:18,447 you could ever imagine. 1058 00:44:18,447 --> 00:44:20,032 Do you give him part of your money, though? 1059 00:44:25,663 --> 00:44:28,207 CANDY: Just, like, as if you would take your card out 1060 00:44:28,207 --> 00:44:29,709 and make a withdrawal. 1061 00:44:29,709 --> 00:44:33,004 Only mine is not a card, it's a person. 1062 00:44:33,004 --> 00:44:34,547 MARIANA: So he's your pimp? 1063 00:44:34,547 --> 00:44:36,299 CANDY: I wouldn't call him my pimp. 1064 00:44:36,299 --> 00:44:38,050 Because he's sweet. 1065 00:44:38,050 --> 00:44:39,969 He's very honorable. 1066 00:44:39,969 --> 00:44:41,179 MARIANA: You don't like to call him pimp? 1067 00:44:41,179 --> 00:44:42,597 What do you call him? 1068 00:44:42,597 --> 00:44:43,806 CANDY: My friend. 1069 00:44:43,806 --> 00:44:45,808 MARIANA: And I realize I have no idea 1070 00:44:45,808 --> 00:44:48,186 how many of these details are true. 1071 00:44:48,186 --> 00:44:50,688 And how many of them are simply talking points 1072 00:44:50,688 --> 00:44:54,901 to please her boss who spends the entire interview 1073 00:44:54,901 --> 00:44:59,530 looming over us with a pool stick in his hand. 1074 00:44:59,530 --> 00:45:00,781 That's the tricky thing 1075 00:45:00,781 --> 00:45:03,659 about doing these sex trafficking stories. 1076 00:45:03,659 --> 00:45:04,744 When you drive down a street 1077 00:45:04,744 --> 00:45:07,496 like Figueroa or International Boulevard, 1078 00:45:07,496 --> 00:45:09,707 and you see the women working, 1079 00:45:09,707 --> 00:45:13,294 it's impossible to know their realities. 1080 00:45:13,294 --> 00:45:16,464 Some of them are out there by choice, 1081 00:45:16,464 --> 00:45:19,592 but some of them are not. 1082 00:45:19,592 --> 00:45:22,178 Some of them are like Honey. 1083 00:45:22,178 --> 00:45:25,514 Do you ever get angry knowing that there's men, right now, 1084 00:45:25,514 --> 00:45:27,099 all over the city, all over the country, 1085 00:45:27,099 --> 00:45:30,603 doing to women what your pimp did to you? 1086 00:45:30,603 --> 00:45:31,604 HONEY: Yes. 1087 00:45:31,604 --> 00:45:35,107 In my case, a 12‐year‐old, for one, 1088 00:45:35,107 --> 00:45:37,026 they don't know what's best for them at the time. 1089 00:45:37,026 --> 00:45:40,696 I'm looking at an adult who can potentially guide me 1090 00:45:40,696 --> 00:45:41,822 in the right direction, 1091 00:45:41,822 --> 00:45:43,908 but I was guided in the wrong direction. 1092 00:45:43,908 --> 00:45:47,328 So it always crosses my mind, like, if I never got introduced 1093 00:45:47,328 --> 00:45:49,664 to this type of lifestyle, how would I be living? 1094 00:45:49,664 --> 00:45:51,707 Or what would my life be like? Or how would I be? 1095 00:45:51,707 --> 00:45:53,709 Would I be different? Would I still be the same? 1096 00:45:53,709 --> 00:45:56,504 Like, I just feel sorry for the females out there 1097 00:45:56,504 --> 00:45:58,130 who has to go through the same thing, 1098 00:45:58,130 --> 00:46:04,762 because it's like, it's just destroying a woman's whole life. 1099 00:46:06,430 --> 00:46:08,557 Uh‐oh! 1100 00:46:08,557 --> 00:46:11,269 Go get it. 1101 00:46:11,269 --> 00:46:14,105 Now, I'm like to the point where I have a child of my own, 1102 00:46:14,105 --> 00:46:18,025 and I have to make sure that I have more than enough for her. 1103 00:46:18,025 --> 00:46:19,694 Because I want to give her the world, 1104 00:46:19,694 --> 00:46:21,070 you know, 'cause she deserves it. 1105 00:46:21,070 --> 00:46:23,698 You know, she didn't ask to be here, I brought her here. 1106 00:46:26,117 --> 00:46:27,785 MARIANA: So I've been reading your book 1107 00:46:27,785 --> 00:46:30,663 and I've been taking some notes here. 1108 00:46:30,663 --> 00:46:32,498 "A ho to a pimp is worth nothing. 1109 00:46:32,498 --> 00:46:34,625 She's actually worth everything." 1110 00:46:34,625 --> 00:46:36,294 "You take away everything she has 1111 00:46:36,294 --> 00:46:37,878 then give her what she needs. 1112 00:46:37,878 --> 00:46:39,380 You, the pimp, are the cause 1113 00:46:39,380 --> 00:46:41,799 as well as the solution to all her problems. 1114 00:46:41,799 --> 00:46:45,177 You give her the poison and sell her the cure." 1115 00:46:45,177 --> 00:46:46,762 So this is something you... 1116 00:46:46,762 --> 00:46:48,139 MICKEY: That's actually true. 1117 00:46:48,139 --> 00:46:49,807 Pimpin' is premeditated. 1118 00:46:49,807 --> 00:46:52,268 You know exactly what you're doing 1119 00:46:52,268 --> 00:46:54,562 and you know the long‐term effects of it. 1120 00:46:54,562 --> 00:46:56,397 You have to be a sadist, 1121 00:46:56,397 --> 00:46:58,190 because you have to enjoy what you're doing, 1122 00:46:58,190 --> 00:47:01,902 and you know good and well what you're doing. 1123 00:47:01,902 --> 00:47:04,697 You know good and well what you're doing. 1124 00:47:04,697 --> 00:47:06,574 Captioned by Side Door Media Services