Brandon Everly, 24, from San Jose, is remanded into custody after pleaing no contest to attempted pimping at the South County Courthouse Friday morning. He was arrested in a sting operation by the Morgan Hill Police department in September 2009.
A San Jose man pleaded no contest to attempted pimping, and was handcuffed and taken into custody at South County Courthouse today.
Brandon Everly, 24, was seated in the audience with his father and girlfriend when Superior Court Judge Ray Cunningham called his case.
He pleaded no contest to the charge of attempted felony pimping related to an incident in Morgan Hill in which he employed a 17-year-old girl as a prostitute. Police say the victim told them that he took all the money she earned from prostitution, and in return he provided her with items such as clothes.
Everly's father said the teen lured him into the relationship with a promise of "easy money," and his girlfriend said he is a good person who has helped her raise her children.
Following the plea hearing Friday, Everly was detained in court by a sheriff's deputy to begin his sentence at the county jail. His plea was arranged as a deal with prosecutors, in which Everly agreed to serve 18 months in state prison for the crime, according to Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Amy Cornell.
He will formally sentenced Sept. 20, and will remain in jail before his sentencing hearing.
The conviction does not count as a felony strike on Everly's criminal record, and the offense does not require him to register as a sex offender, Cornell said.
Everly was arrested outside a Morgan Hill hotel Sept. 10, 2009. Morgan Hill Police Special Operations officers were conducting a prostitution sting by responding to Internet advertisements for illicit sexual services. Throughout the evening, police arranged a number of meetings with suspected prostitutes at the hotel, and a total of eight women were arrested in different incidents.
A 17-year-old girl from San Jose traveled to Morgan Hill with Everly after undercover officers contacted the pair through one of the advertisements, titled "Something to Enjoy," according to police reports. She arrived at a room at the hotel, which was occupied by a detective posing as a john. After a brief conversation in the room, the detective determined the teen was there to have sex for money - specifically $300.
Police reports also say that other officers on surveillance watched Everly and the alleged prostitute arrive at the scene in a silver Mercedes-Benz. Everly waited outside, parked near the Jack in the Box restaurant at Condit Road and Dunne Avenue, while the girl walked into the hotel.
The teen also told the undercover officer that she had to have $300 up front to give to Everly, police reports said. She said she would leave the room to give Everly the money and then return to have sex with the presumed customer.
When she left the room, other MHPD officers arrested her in the hotel's hallway on suspicion of prostitution. Police did not release her name because she is a juvenile.
Officers then walked out to the parked car in which Everly sat. They arrested him on suspicion of pimping and found two cell phones when they searched the vehicle. Some text messages sent earlier in the evening from one of the cell phones read, "U still wanna see her tonite," and "she made 700 b4 6 oclock there has not been any calls since then so I put her on the track."
The female teenager told police that Everly was her pimp, and she had known him about two weeks, according to police files. She also said that Everly did not know she was younger than 18.
Everly's girlfriend, who declined to provide her name, said Friday that "he didn't know what he was doing," and that's why he got caught. She added that he has a "heart of gold," and has even seen him give his shoes to someone who was needy.
"It's sad he got caught up in this," his girlfriend said.
Everly's father, George Everly, said his son works hard as an iron worker, and his conviction and prison sentence are a "lesson learned."
Everly's attorney, Alfredo Morales, did not immediately return a phone call.
Prosecutors initially filed a charge of human trafficking against Everly, but that was dismissed as part of the deal.
Michael Moore Michael Moore covers county and law enforcement issues for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106, ext. 202, or mmoore@morganhilltimes.com.
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