Ventura County task force arrests 3 in trafficking-related crimes
Three Southern California men were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking-related crimes, and several other victims were identified as part of a Ventura County task force’s operations in January.
The Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force carried out several operations during January, which is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, throughout the county that resulted in the arrests of two Los Angeles men, one Thousand Oaks man and several others for solicitation of prostitution, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
The task force investigated a 23-year-old Los Angeles resident suspected of trafficking a Ventura County youth and arrested him on Jan. 23, authorities said.
He was charged in Ventura County Superior Court on Jan. 27 with felony causing a minor to engage in a commercial sex act and a special allegation that the victim was vulnerable, court records show. Such allegations carry with them the possibility of increased jail time if found guilty.
He remains in Ventura County jail with bail set at $1 million and is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 23, records show.
The task force investigated a 36-year-old Thousand Oaks man and arrested him on Jan. 26 on suspicion of trafficking a Los Angeles County minor and other sex-related crimes, authorities said.
He was charged with five felonies in the county court on Feb. 6, including possession of child pornography with intent to distribute, sodomy of a person under 18 and using a minor for commercial sex acts, court records show. He also faces numerous special allegations, including that the victim was vulnerable and the victim was under 18 years old.
The Thousand Oaks man pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the allegations, court records show. He remains in Ventura County jail with bail set at $100,000, and he is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 27.
The task force also investigated a 22-year-old Los Angeles resident and arrested him on Jan. 29 on suspicion of pimping, pandering and related charges involving an adult victim from LA, authorities said.
He was charged on Feb. 2 with felonies for pimping and pandering and numerous special allegations, including that he was on probation and he had served a prior prison term, court records show. He pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations.
The LA man was released from county jail on Feb. 11 on $20,000 bond, records show. He is scheduled to return to court on March 25.
The county-wide task force also conducted a motel operation in Ventura that resulted in the arrests of multiple commercial sex buyers on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution and an operation that conducted code-compliance checks into 34 massage businesses that identified some as “illicit massage businesses,” sheriff’s officials said.
Illicit massage businesses are businesses that use legitimate massage and bodywork as a cover for commercial sex acts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Resources were offered to 31 potential victims and multiple citations were issued to the businesses.
The task force also assisted the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force in locating and rescuing a human trafficking victim from Ventura County, the sheriff’s office said, adding that the trafficker was taken into custody.
Thousand Oaks man sentenced in embezzlement of more than $3.2 million
A Thousand Oaks man was sentenced to eight years in state prison on Feb. 11 for seven counts of felony grand theft for embezzlement of over $3.2 million from a textile business where he was employed as a controller for over a decade.
Jason Randall Eil, 40, previously pleaded guilty to all charges on Dec. 30 in Ventura County Superior Court, according to a news release from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
He also admitted to multiple special allegations, including that the crime involved taking more than $500,000, he took advantage of a position of trust and the crime involved planning, sophistication and professionalism.
The charges stem from Eil’s time as a full-time controller at Reid Witlin Ltd., a small family-owned textile business out of Moorpark, where he worked from 2011 to 2024, the DA’s office said.
Authorities found that Eil stole an average of between $20,000 and $30,000 per month from 2016 to 2024, the DA’s office said.
The Thousand Oaks man had set up a business with a fictitious name similar to Reid Witlin and opened two bank accounts in the fake business’s name, where he funneled money from customers into his accounts, the DA’s office said.
He also manipulated company records to avoid detection, officials said.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County deputies arrest 3 in trafficking case, more
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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