A man was sentenced to prison in Orange County for trafficking a 17-year-old girl.
Donald Leonidas Newton, 47, of Las Vegas, was found guilty of the charges in October 2025, according to the Anaheim Police Department.
On May 30, 2025, police were notified that a teen girl was being detained against her will by an armed suspect.
Officers arrived to the Moonlight Motel in the 700 block of S. Beach Boulevard in Anaheim, where they discovered the girl and took her to a secure location.
Newton was not located on the property, but a loaded weapon was discovered in the room. Detectives tracked him down in Stanton about two hours later and arrested him.
The young victim said police she had been working as a prostitute in San Diego “for the past few days under a new pimp,” according to the Orange County Register.
Prosecutors claimed Newton eventually persuaded her to join him and his companion.
Newton allegedly became furious with the girl for not listening to him, and she claims he held a gun at her head and threatened her with it.
When Newton left her alone, she contacted her mother and the police for assistance.
In a sentencing brief, Newton’s attorney, Vu Tran, stated that the minor and her friend “were having problems with their pimp,” so they chose Newton.
Tran claimed the gun found in the motel room belonged to the teen’s buddy and that the girl lied to Newton about her age.
Prosecutors stated the minor “completed one commercial sex date in Pomona for $40” and handed all of the money to Newton.
While they were in Pomona, Newton noticed the teen “talking to his friend and disciplined her by strangling her with his hand,” according to Orange County District Attorney James Voge.
Voge also said that at the Anaheim motel, Newton and the girl smoked marijuana and had sex.
Newton was convicted of human trafficking of a juvenile, pimping a minor over the age of 16, pandering with a minor over the age of 16, possession of a gun by a criminal, and possessing ammunition as a prohibited person on October 30, 2025. Jurors also found true sentencing increases for personal use of a firearm.
On April 24, 2026, he received an 18-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors claimed he had a criminal history extending back to 1996, with convictions in numerous states for severe violence, drugs, vehicle violations, and attempted pandering.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 888-373-7888 or your local police department.