Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced Wednesday the arrest of 10 people accused of running a sex-trafficking operation that exploited approximately 51 underage girls and women along the Figueroa corridor. The charges stem from activity authorities said took place between February 2021 and June 2026.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the suspects are members and associates of the Hoover gang, a south Los Angeles-based criminal organization. Prosecutors allege the individuals acted as pimps who recruited minors and women — some of whom were runaways or in foster care — through false promises of a better life or through violence.
Among those charged, Cameron Lockett, 23, is accused of beating a victim and biting off a piece of her cheek in November 2024. Authorities said Lockett took the victim to a hospital for treatment and told her to lie to police officers about how she was injured.
Caleed Mouton, 26, faces allegations that in July 2025 he arranged an abortion for a trafficking victim who was a minor and then ordered her to return to sex work later the same day.
The manager of a motel that prosecutors say was used to facilitate the operation also faces charges. Mukeshkumar Ahir, 45, the manager of Stadium Inn & Spas, is accused of collecting more than $64,000 by reserving rooms for the illegal activity, according to the news release.
“We hope today’s arrests break the cycle of crime and abuse in one of LA’s most notorious human-trafficking corridors,” Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney, said in a statement.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said: “We are dismantling the criminal enterprises that profit from human trafficking, rescuing victims and reclaiming the Figueroa corridor for the community that has always deserved better.”
If convicted, the individuals face sentences ranging from 15 years to life in prison.
The Figueroa corridor, roughly a four-mile stretch running north to south, has been a recurrent focus of law enforcement because of persistent sex-trafficking activity. Last year, 11 other people connected to the Hoover gang were charged with sex-trafficking crimes. That group included Amaya Armstead, 25, whom prosecutors described as the gang’s “de facto leader.” Their trial is scheduled to begin in March 2027.
The New York Times has reported that budget cuts in 2021 reduced the Los Angeles Police Department’s capacity to combat human trafficking, and that the repeal of a state law allowing police to arrest individuals for loitering with intent to engage in sex work hampered officers’ ability to apprehend trafficked minors. Proponents of the repeal, including state senator and congressional candidate Scott Wiener, said the law enabled discriminatory enforcement against people of color and transgender communities.