A man who kidnapped his former girlfriend and pressed her into prostitution has been sentenced to 25 years in state prison, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office announced.
Jesus Ramirez pleaded guilty last year to human trafficking with great bodily injury and kidnapping.
With the help of an accomplice, Ramirez was found guilty of kidnapping a woman with whom he had separated after a previous relationship. The two nabbed her at gunpoint on Oct. 31, 2022. They then took her to a motel where they told her she would be forced to work as a prostitute, the DA’s office said.
Ramirez and his co-conspirators blocked exits, threatened violence and imposed quotas on the victim, whose name was not disclosed.
The woman and another victim “endured repeated physical abuse, forced prostitution, deprivation of food, and threats,” prosecutors said. The woman escaped by jumping from a moving vehicle near Spanos Elementary School in Stockton and sought help from law enforcement. Officers then located the other victim, extracting her from the sex trafficking operation as well.
District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement that the case shows how those involved in “intimate relationships” can be coerced into sex trafficking.
“Human trafficking offenders will find no safe harbor in San Joaquin County,” he said in a statement. “We will pursue them, prosecute them, and protect the victims they target.
“This significant sentence reflects San Joaquin County’s strong commitment to combating human trafficking,” Freitas said.
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