A Ventura man, already a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty in federal court on May 14 to a felony for sex trafficking two minors.
Kai Whitney Sommers, 38, faces 15 years to life in federal prison for his crimes, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Along with the plea, he also admitted to possessing 150 images of child sexual abuse material and distributing the material.
Sommers was previously convicted and sentenced in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021 for statutory rape and lewd acts with a child of 14 or 15 years old while being an offender over 10 years older, according to federal officials.
In the 2021 conviction, the Ventura man had enticed a minor he met in an online chat room to work as an escort in exchange for money, lured her to meet and take her to his home and sexually assaulted her, officials said.
In June 2023, he was released on post-release supervision in Los Angeles County and later in Ventura County, which included a condition that he would have no access to or possession of any digital devices capable of accessing the internet, federal officials said.
Months later, Ventura County probation officials searched his home and found that he had digital devices that contained child sexual abuse material and had also been communicating with a minor through a message platform geared for teens, officials said.
After reviewing the devices, investigators found that Sommers had met two girls, ages 14 and 16, on the same platform and requested that they message on a different platform so he could entice and coerce them to work as escorts.
One victim produced child sexual abuse material while another provided fully clothed pictures that he then used to post commercial sex advertisements for each of the girls without their knowledge, federal officials said.
He would pose as the girls, advertised as being 18 years old, when speaking to potential clients, officials said. He also advised the girls to tell potential clients they were 18 years old.
Sommers eventually coerced one of the girls to meet with two men he found on an adult website, on two separate occasions, and both times commercial sex acts were exchanged for money, federal officials said.
The man has been in federal custody since June 2024, officials said. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 24, where he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum of life in prison.
The Ventura Police Department and the FBI are continuing to investigate, and the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura convicted sex offender pleads guilty to more federal charges
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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