California Man Pleads Guilty to Interstate Transportation of a Minor for Prostitution

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Kaster Tezino, age 23, of North Highlands, California, pleaded guilty on September 18, 2006 to Interstate Transportation of a Minor for Prostitution, before Judge James A. Teilborg in federal district court in Phoenix. U.S. Attorney Paul K. Charlton said, Using a child as a prostitute is a crime that repeats itself every time the child is forced to commit a sex act. Just as horrifying is the impact on the child as a person and the residual memories that child will have as an adult. We are grateful to the FBI, the Phoenix Police Department, the Eureka Police Department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Maricopa County Attorneys Office for working together to bring the exploitation of the minor victim in this case to an end. On June 21, 2006, the FBI received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that an endangered 16-year-old runaway from California may be in the Phoenix area with a pimp. FBI contacted Phoenix Police who used internet postings advertising the minors escort services to locate her at the Fairfield Inn in Scottsdale. Phoenix detectives took the minor into custody after she had agreed to engage in a commercial sex act. A short time later, detectives located Tezino and two other women in a nearby room at the same hotel. Tezino was arrested and charged with Interstate Transportation of a Minor for Prostitution. In pleading guilty, Tezino admitted that on June 20, 2006, he transported the minor female from Las Vegas, Nevada to Phoenix, Arizona aboard a Southwest Airlines flight, with the intent that she engage in prostitution. Tezino also admitted that the minor female engaged in a sex act in exchange for money after he had transported her to Arizona. A conviction for Interstate Transportation of a Minor for Prostitution carries a minimum penalty of five years prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years prison, a $250,000 fine or both. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Teilborg will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence. Sentencing is set before Judge Teilborg on December 11, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI in Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Francisco, and the Phoenix Police Department, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Eureka Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Bill C. Solomon, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix, with cooperation from the Maricopa County Attorneys Office.