Juvenile Sex Trafficking Discovered After Vehicle Stop at Las Vegas Casino: Police

Posted on: November 18, 2020, 01:05h. 

Last updated on: November 19, 2020, 03:24h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

A sex trafficking investigation that began with a vehicle stop at a Las Vegas hotel-casino has led to a suspect’s arrest, police said.

Mardi Gras Hotel Casino
The Mardi Gras Hotel and Casino, seen here, welcomes visitors on Paradise Road east of the Las Vegas Strip. Police made a vehicle stop at this site, leading to a sex trafficking arrest, according to reports. (Image: Vegas Means Business)

The investigation began on Oct. 11. That’s when police stopped a Land Rover with temporary tags on Paradise Road just before midnight, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Paradise Road runs behind the large casinos on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip.

The traffic stop was at the Mardi Gras Hotel and Casino on Paradise Road, according to KLAS-TV.

A juvenile female was driving the Land Rover with two adults inside. Police said Trevor Carter, 49, was in the back seat. A 26-year-old woman was in the front passenger seat. Authorities later learned the juvenile was from California and was not related to the two adults.

Police said the three people that night had gone to local stores to buy a dress, high heels, liquor, and condoms.

‘Cowboy Buckles and Boots’

In early October, the young woman had been in Las Vegas on vacation with her family. During this trip, she came into contact with the 26-year-old woman. The woman told the juvenile she was pretty. The two exchanged information before the juvenile returned home, according to the television station.

The juvenile booked a flight to Las Vegas on Oct. 10 without her family. She contacted the woman. The adult took the juvenile to the Mardi Gras and got a room for her, the television station reported.   

Police said Carter, known as Smiley, spoke with the juvenile about making money as a prostitute. The juvenile was instructed to charge $500 for each encounter. She also was told to look for men wearing “cowboy buckles and boots” as potential good customers.

The juvenile was advised to make her customers drink a shot of liquor to be sure the person was not an undercover officer, police said. She was instructed to give Carter whatever money she made.

After an investigation, police arrested Carter on Nov. 5. He is due in court in March on a charge of sex trafficking of a child under 18, records show.

Suspected Pimp Jailed

Carter’s arrest followed a recent unrelated allegation of prostitution on the Las Vegas Strip.

On Oct. 7, Letorian Hunt was arrested after police heard a rap song he supposedly composed. The song indicated he had two “successful” prostitutes working for him, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal.

One woman was arrested on suspicion of working as a prostitute at the Cosmopolitan Casino on the Strip, a police report states.

Hunt was charged Oct. 29 with two counts of pandering and two counts of living from the earnings of a prostitute, court records show. Hunt has been released on bail. He is due in court on Jan. 12.

Before arresting Hunt, police monitored his social media accounts. He made several posts implying he was a pimp, according to the newspaper.

Roses are red, violets are blue, if you come be my hoe you can be this fly to (sic),” one post reads.

In recent weeks, the Cosmopolitan and other properties have beefed up in-house security in response to a wave of violence at different sites on the Strip.