Los Osos teen was raped, sodomized and pimped, jury rules

November 21, 2015

A San Luis Obispo jury found a 40-year-old San Francisco man guilty of 19 crimes related to the sexual abuse of a Los Osos teen he met on Craigslist. The convictions include rape, sodomy, pimping and oral copulation with a minor.

Richard Scott Brooks met the then-17-year-old girl on Craigslist in July 2014. Brooks had sex with the girl at her home for four days, and she was unconscious during some of the sex acts, according to trial testimony. Brooks then pimped the teen out to a volunteer Cayucos fire captain, who is charged in a separate case.

Brooks’ most serious conviction is human trafficking of minor by use of force or fear. That count carries a minimum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison.

Including all of the convictions, Brooks faces a maximum sentence of 63 years to life in state prison, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.

The victim, now 18 years old, said she was lonely at the time she contacted Brooks. She wanted someone to spend time with while her mother and younger sister were out of California on vacation.

Brooks promised the teen money in exchange for sex with other men in what was labeled a business partnership, she testified. The teen drove to the Bay Area, picked up Brooks and brought him to Los Osos.

Brooks then filmed himself having sex with the teen and used the videos to recruit clients.

Prosecutors played some of the sex tapes in San Luis Obispo court during the trial. The screen was positioned so that jurors could see the video, but the audience could not.

The teen said she went along with Brooks when he demanded more sex acts because she was afraid of him. Brooks allegedly said he would kill her if she did not comply.

Defense attorney Matt Guerrero argued the sex was consensual and the teen pursued it and took part in role playing. In her messages to Brooks, the teen wrote “I’ll be the perfect little slut” and that she wanted to be a sex slave. Guerrero said the victim lied about her age, claiming she was 18.

Following the verdict, lead prosecutor Greg Devitt released a statement saying the jury held Brooks accountable for what he did to a minor victim.

“The jury obviously found the victim credible, and these verdicts will hopefully bring her comfort as she heals from this very traumatic event,” Devitt said. “These verdicts send a strong message that commercial sexual exploitation of minors will not go unpunished in our community.”

Brooks is being held without bail until his sentencing. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 29.