A Los Angeles County man was convicted by a jury of trafficking, exploiting and physically abusing a woman he was dating.

Jalen Amir Yoakum, 25, of Lancaster, was also a documented gang member, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said.

Yoakum met the victim through Instagram in July 2024 and soon after, they began dating. Initially, he presented himself as caring and respectful, but after moving in together, he became increasingly controlling and physically abusive, prosecutors said.

He began isolating the woman from her friends and family and had repeatedly assaulted and strangled her during their time together.

Yoakum eventually pressured and coerced the woman into commercial sex work despite her objections, prosecutors said. She complied out of fear of additional violence.

Using photos of the victim, Yoakum created online advertisements, hoping to find prospective sex buyers, court documents said.

He would arrange commercial sex appointments, dictate where the woman would go and what services she would perform, and demand she hand over nearly all of the money she earned. 

He had threatened to assault her if appointments took longer than expected or if she failed to satisfy his demands.

In January 2025, the victim planned a trip to Camarillo. Before arriving for an appointment, Yoakum struck the woman multiple times, leaving visible injuries to her face and body. 

While she attended the appointment, Yoakum drove away in her car and was accused of stealing merchandise from a Target store. When deputies located the vehicle that day, he was accused of ramming into an undercover law enforcement vehicle before leading deputies on a high-speed chase. 

He was eventually taken into custody after crashing into two vehicles and leaving four people injured, authorities said.

As deputies investigated the case, the woman reported the abuse she was experiencing. 

“Search warrants uncovered digital evidence, including online advertisements, text messages, and location data that corroborated the trafficking operation and Yoakum’s control over the victim,” court documents said.

On June 29, 2026, Yoakum was convicted by a jury of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, pimping, pandering by encouragement, corporal injury to a cohabitant and dissuading a witness by force or threat.

Several special allegations and aggravating factors were found true, including that Yoakum has a prior strike conviction, engaged in violent conduct, targeted a particularly vulnerable victim and involved another person in the commission of the crimes.

“This verdict recognizes the victim’s courage and the brutality she survived,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Rikole Kelly, who prosecuted the case. “Human trafficking does not always look like chains or locked doors. In this case, it hid under the guise of a relationship and was enforced through violence, fear, shame, and control.”

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 21, where he faces up to 46 years in state prison

Yoakum also faces separate charges in the Camarillo case involving the high-speed pursuit that left multiple victims injured. A trial is scheduled for early July 2026.