DATE: August 2, 2019
CASE: Robert Taylor (Case #17FE006278)
PROSECUTOR: Deputy District Attorney Danielle Abildgaard, Human Trafficking Unit
Robert Taylor was convicted by a jury of human trafficking of a minor with the special finding of force, fear or violence and the allegation of force and violence found true. Taylor was also convicted of pimping of a minor, pandering of a minor, conspiracy, sodomy of a 14-year-old victim, statutory rape of a minor and committing lewd acts on a child.
In January 2017, the 14-year-old victim ran away from her home in another state and was in a known prostitution area making money to survive on the streets. She met a 17-year-old, who recruited the victim to work for Taylor in Sacramento. When the two girls arrived in Sacramento on a bus, Taylor took them to his apartment. He told the victim she could live with him if she gave him all her money from her acts of prostitution. Taylor drove the underaged girls and two other women to prostitution areas in an ice cream truck to do acts of prostitution. The underaged girls and women gave Taylor all the money from their sex acts. Taylor physically assaulted one of the women with his hands, belts and metal hangers in front of the other girls and women that worked for him. He also sodomized and had sexual intercourse with the underaged girls and women. In April 2017, the 14-year-old victim called 911 to report that her pimp had “put his hands on her.” The Elk Grove Police Department’s investigation revealed that Taylor began working as a pimp in 2012 after he was released from prison. From 2012 to his arrest on April 5, 2017, he had at least 10 women and underaged girls that worked for him and lived with him. The women and girls gave him all of their money from their acts of prostitution, so they could have a place to live.
An allegation that Taylor suffered a prior 1995 strike conviction for first-degree burglary will be determined at the sentencing hearing.
Taylor faces a maximum sentence of 90 years to life in prison. Sentencing is set for August 30, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. in Department 26 before the Honorable Curtis Fiorini.
