LOS ANGELES
Four were indicted by a federal grand jury for child pornography for filming a 15-year-old girl engaged in sex acts, officials said.
The indictment also alleges 12 counts of producing child pornography involving the 15-year-old victim. Each of the four defendants is charged in at least two of these substantive counts.
The three arrested this morning are:
- Darrius Marques Sutton, also known as “Biz,” 25, of Compton
- Darius Dajohn Burks, 26, of Los Angeles
- Edwin Donnell Franklin, 28, of Bellflower
The fourth defendant – Leprinceton Dewon Burks, also known as “Dapper P” and “Pete Williams,” 31, of Carson – is expected to be taken into custody today.
The child pornography production charges alleged in the first 16 counts of the indictment each carry sentence of 15 years to 30 years in prison, according to authorities.
The indictment alleges four counts of conspiracy to produce child pornography, officials said.
Those charges relate to four incidents:
Sutton and Franklin are charged in a conspiracy to produce child pornography of the victim on July 18, 2011 in an incident in which both men “directed” and engaged in sex acts with the victim that were recorded.
All four defendants are charged in a conspiracy count in which all four of them filmed the victim participating in various sex acts on July 25, 2011.
Sutton and Darius Burks are charged in a third conspiracy in relation to an incident the night of August 16, 2011 in which they filmed “themselves and each other performing sexual acts on [the] intoxicated and unconscious [victim],” which included an act that involved an empty liquor bottle.
All four defendants are charged in a conspiracy to produce child pornography related to the filming of sexually explicit conduct involving the victim on August 20, 2011.
The child pornography production charges alleged in the first 16 counts of the indictment each carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
In addition, Sutton and Leprinceton Burks are each charged with one count of possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a potential penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
The indictment follows a state court prosecution of the men, who were convicted of charges that include conspiracy to pimp a minor, sexually assaulting an unconscious victim and statutory rape.
They previously received sentences of up to four years and four months in state prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force and the Los Angeles Police Department Detective Support and Vice Division, Human Trafficking Unit.