Two men found guilty in Santa Maria human trafficking case

Two men were found guilty on May 18 in what’s being described as one of the county’s first human trafficking trials. 

A jury found both defendants, 24-year-old Humberto Carranza and 27-year-old Cameron Joseph Jones, guilty of trafficking a then-16-year-old female in October 2015, according to court records.

Carranza was found guilty on all counts, which included pimping and pandering a minor, causing a minor to engage in a sex act, and two counts of oral and unlawful sex with a minor. 

Jones was found guilty on several counts, which included pimping a minor and two counts of oral and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He was found not guilty on the charge of pandering to a minor. 

Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Karapetian was the lead prosecutor on the case. She said it’s the second human trafficking case prosecuted in the county, and the first for North County. She told the Sun that the case is significant. 

“It helps demonstrate that it happens here in our community and we’re helping to raise the awareness of this issue,” Karapetian said. “Santa Maria is definitely a place where prostitution happens, not for local girls but girls being trafficked from other counties.” 

Both Jones and Carranza face up to 15 years each in prison and must register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives, Karapetian said. 

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