California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Friday that Kai Bonta, Rob California Attorney General Jones, had been sentenced for human trafficking and sexual exploitation of two minors. In 2022, Jones operated out of Los Angeles, Alameda, Monterey, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties, luring his underage victims with promises of security and a good future in exchange for the money they earned from performing commercial sex. Jones was charged with seven felonies after the California Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted an investigation and prosecuted him, including human trafficking, pimping, and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He pleaded guilty on February 13, 2026, and was sentenced today to eight years in prison.
“This sentence proves that combating the trafficking and exploitation of children remains an utmost priority for my team and me at the California Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Crimes against children will never be tolerated in California, and I remain dedicated to prosecuting perpetrators of child exploitation. I am grateful for the hard work of my team — both in the field and in the courtroom — that made securing an eight-year prison sentence for the perpetrator in this case possible.
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Jones was arrested on unrelated attempted murder accusations and later charged with seven felonies last year. Between June 1 and October 10, 2022, Jones trafficked two juveniles and profited from their sexual exploitation. Jones was charged with human trafficking a minor, pimping a minor, and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. He was also charged with one count of pandering for contacting an undercover officer via social media between November 26 and 28, 2023, in an attempt to induce the officer to become a prostitute.
Attorney General Bonta’s record illustrates his longstanding commitment to protecting California’s children. Earlier this month, the California Department of Justice worked with the United States Marshals Service and local law enforcement agencies to safely locate 37 missing children. Operation Safe Return resulted in the arrest of seven individuals. Last September, Attorney General Bonta led Operation Freedom, which aimed to combat child trafficking in collaboration with local law enforcement.
The DOJ-led Human Trafficking and Sexual Predator Apprehension Team conducted an investigation into this case. The Department of Justice leads three human trafficking task forces across the state: the Sacramento Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, the Fresno Human Trafficking Sexual Predator Apprehension Team, and the San Diego County Human Trafficking Task Force. Since 2021, these teams have apprehended 1,035 traffickers and helped 1,062 victims. Human trafficking is the exploitation of people for sex or labor via force, fraud, or compulsion. Traffickers frequently target individuals who are already vulnerable owing to situations such as poverty, housing insecurity, or other risk factors. DOJ continues to collaborate with law enforcement agencies throughout the state to combat human trafficking, assist victims, and hold abusers accountable.
