A Los Angeles County man accused of forcing a 16-year-old girl from Orange County into prostitution until she escaped months later has been arrested on federal charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.
Christian Alexander Augustus, a.k.a. “Sir Ceeco,” met the teenager in L.A. in December 2018 and took her to areas of Southern California, Nevada and Arizona to work on the streets and advertise sex work online, according to federal prosecutors. He was arrested Tuesday in Stockton and remains in federal custody in Sacramento.
Augustus, 23, allegedly forced the girl to give him all the money she earned and beat her when she did not bring in enough, subjecting her to sex work in cities such as Santa Ana, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Federal prosecutors allege the victim was also beaten severely by Augustus when she tried to flee other times.
Just days before she was free, on July 1, Augustus beat her until she was left with two black eyes, a bruised rib and face swelling, according to an affidavit. She finally managed to escape on July 8.
According to the affidavit, Augustus reached out to the girl after she fled and threatened to kill her and her family.
He appeared in U.S. District Court in Sacramento on Wednesday and was ordered detained until his trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.