A preliminary hearing is slated next week for a parolee and his girlfriend accused of putting a runaway girl to work as a prostitute in Riverside and surrounding locations.
Michael Jay Johnson, 28, of Los Angeles, and 23-year-old Bonnie Edney Fingerson of Santa Clara were arrested last week following a Riverside Police Department investigation.
Johnson and Fingerson are both charged with human trafficking and pimping, while Johnson alone is charged with lewd acts on a minor and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Fingerson is separately charged with recruiting a minor for sex trafficking.
They were jointly arraigned Monday, each entering not guilty pleas before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, who scheduled a preliminary hearing for Aug. 13 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The hearing will establish whether there are sufficient grounds to bound the pair over for trial.
Johnson was being held in lieu of $200,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail. Fingerson was being held on $85,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.
According to the Riverside Police Department, in May, Vice Squad investigators came into contact with two teenage girls who ran away from a group home and said that, during the time they were on the streets, they had encountered Johnson and Fingerson.
One of the victims, whose identity was not disclosed, was allegedly coerced into working for the duo in an on-call sex services operation, Officer Ryan Railsback said.
“The reality is that when teens run away, they face immediate and serious risks,” police Lt. Matt Lackey said. “Within hours, they can become targets for predators, fall victim to human trafficking, or be subjected to other violent crimes.”
Detectives gathered sufficient evidence to procure arrest warrants for Johnson and Fingerson.
He was taken into custody without incident on Wilmington Avenue in Los Angeles on July 29. She was transferred from the Santa Clara County Jail on July 31.
Court records did not specify Johnson’s prior felony convictions, and it was unclear whether Fingerson had any priors.
“We urge parents, guardians and community members to talk with their teens about dangers, report runaway youth without delay and work closely with law enforcement to help ensure their safe return,” Lackey said.