3/26/2015 (updated 3/27/2015) – Edmond, OK — A University of Central Oklahoma senior has pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to operating a brothel out of his Edmond apartment and furthering the prostitution efforts of his live-in girlfriend. And, as predicted by JohnTV, his sentence does more to encourage prostitution than to deter it.
JohnTV previously reported on the details of the arrests of Ali Hussain Al Yousuf, 24, and Rachel Lauren Herrera, 20, on Tuesday.
In summary; back in January an undercover agent with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (Human Trafficking Unit) replied to a prostitution ad posted to Backpage.com by Herrera. After the undercover agent arrived at Herrera and Al Yousuf’s Edmond apartment, he was directed to a bedroom where Herrerea removed all her clothing, produced a condom from a dresser drawer and collected $150 from the officer.
Rachel Herrera in her apartment as she appears on social media.
When Herrera was taken into custody, also present in her apartment was her seven-month old daughter, her 16-year-old sister and Al Yousuf – who had been hiding in a kitchen pantry closet.
Further investigation revealed that Herrera was not being forced to prostitute herself for Al Yousuf. In fact, Herrera claimed to police that she met Al Yousuf while she was prostituting online and that he was a ‘John’ and they later developed a romantic relationship (just like ‘Pretty Woman’ – minus the good looking, filthy rich, well meaning, knight in shining armor. Oh yeah, also minus the hooker with a heart of gold looking to get out of ‘the life’).
Last Friday Al Yousuf was charged in Oklahoma County Court with misdemeanor maintaining a house of prostitution and aiding and abetting prostitution. Herrera was charged with a single count of misdemeanor engaging in prostitution.
In our last article JohnTV pointed out some obvious indications that the Oklahoma County District Attorneys office wasn’t going to pursue this case very aggressively and today those predictions were validated.
Less than a week after criminal charges were filed and Al Yousuf’s case is already over. And what better lawyer to represent a yuppy Edmond college pimp than a defense attorney who publicly refers to himself as “The California Switchblade” (seriously) and looks like a model for a chain of spray tan booths along the Jersey Shore — Marco Palumbo…
Sure, we poke fun at Palumbo, but in all honesty he obviously represented Al Yousuf incredibly well. You’re gonna be hard pressed to find a handful of prostitution defendants (let alone accused brothel operators) who can have their case over with in a single courtroom appearance. Many criminal defense attorneys drag their client’s cases out unnecessarily for months or even years – presumably either because they are lazy, inept at doing what’s in their client’s best interest or simply want an excuse to continue to charge them more money.
So, how seriously does the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office take the crime of operating a brothel and aiding and abetting prostitution in the highbrow white picket fence community that is Edmond, Oklahoma?
Well, lets put it this way, JohnTV predicted the hug-a-thug outcome with amazing accuracy….
Our prediction….
“…you two are not facing more than one to five years deferred (that means probation only, no official conviction and no permanent criminal record), maybe a couple hundred bucks in fines and hopefully some making better choices rehabilitation classes. Your lawyer is going to cost you more than the Oklahoma ‘justice’ system will.”
The sentence…
Two years deferred (which means no conviction, no permanent record), $500 fine, and Making Better Choices classes (ding, ding, ding!). Prosecutors also threw in 40-hours of community service and a health checkup (Al Yousuf is after all basically sleeping with everyone Herrera has slept with — ewwwwwww!).
So, to put this sentence in perspective…. If you’re an entrepreneurial college kid and you’ve got a girlfriend who is more than willing to bed any dude with a pulse for $250 an hour…. You stand to make $195,000 a year, cash money, tax free (that’s just 3 ‘dates’ a day at only 5 days per week) and the most you are risking is no permanent criminal record, 24-months of probation and a $500 fine (two ‘dates’ profits). Yeah, that sentence is going to send a message. And the message is, “Why the hell didn’t we think of this sooner!”
Satirical poster by JohnTV of Ali Al Yousuf pimping related charges.
I already know the prosecutor’s argument; the kid is young, has no prior criminal record, is finishing college and is simply a patsy who fell for a hooker he couldn’t control and to be honest he liked the extra cash she shared with him. Prosecutors most likely feel like they scared the hell out of him, he was completely humiliated with the public exposure and a little probation, some fines and court costs, community service and rehabilitation classes is all punishment enough.
To be honest, if that was the only reality, JohnTV would be okay with Al Yousuf’s punishment – but there’s another perspective you have to keep in mind. Al Yousuf wasn’t an uneducated kid who really didn’t know any better. He is a privileged kid who is by all accounts smart and almost finished with a college degree that will make him very good money. He made the decision to risk that by becoming a pimp. To make matters worse he began his journey into ultimately becoming a pimp by first being a ‘John.’ But probably the most outrageous offense is that he was allowing the prostitution of his girlfriend to occur in the presence of their own seven month old child and his girlfriend’s 16-year-old sister. That fact alone JohnTV finds inexcusable.
What punishment would we have suggested? First off, Al Yousuf and Herrera should have been treated like EVERY OTHER criminal defendant arrested in a Backpage.com sting and charged with felony computer crimes. Additionally, they should have faced child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor charges. Regardless, a more appropriate sentence would have been three to five years of probation, the maximum fine, community service at a facility that actually treats those devastated by prostitution, making better choices classes and a handful of weekends at the county jail so that he gets a really good taste of the road he and his girlfriend were headed down.
No word yet if Herrera will wrap her charges up as quickly as her pimp boyfriend.
JohnTV will continue to follow this case.
UPDATES:
- 5/7/2015 – JohnTV – “UCO senior convicted of running a brothel bring held by ICE for possible deportation.”
