(Image Credit: IMAGN) The Kentucky Sentate gavel rests on the wooden sound block in the Kentucky Senate chambers before the first day of Concurrence began at the state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. March 13, 2025.
El Cajon, California – A federal jury has found Steven Terrell Lewis, of El Cajon, guilty of attempted coercion and enticement of a 14-year-old high school student and attempted sex trafficking by force or coercion of a 22-year-old woman.
Evidence presented during the trial detailed Lewis’s disturbing actions, beginning on April 22, 2024. According to court documents, Lewis used his vehicle to block a 14-year-old girl walking home from school in El Cajon. He then allegedly snatched her cellphone to obtain her number and proceeded to send sexually explicit text messages from a phone number ending in 8155. Despite the victim blocking the number, Lewis persisted the following day, contacting her via the TextFree application from a number ending in 0014. Identifying himself as “Pimpin,” he sent a sexually explicit photograph and invited the minor to engage in prostitution. The victim promptly reported the interaction to a coach at her high school, triggering an investigation by the El Cajon Police Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s Office.
Undeterred by his failed attempt, just one week later, on April 28, 2024, Lewis allegedly turned his attention to a 22-year-old woman. He is accused of recruiting her through the online platform MegaPersonals and arranging a ride-share to transport her to Roosevelt Avenue in National City, an area known as “the blade” for street-based prostitution. His intent, according to the evidence, was to profit from her exploitation. Fortunately, on April 29, 2024, an undercover National City police officer posing as a commercial sex buyer contacted the adult victim, offering her resources to leave prostitution. However, Lewis continued to harass the victim with threatening messages from both phone numbers, demanding she continue engaging in commercial sex for his financial gain.
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force subsequently launched a surveillance operation, leading to the arrest of Lewis on May 16, 2024, following searches of his vehicles, residence, and cell phones. Authorities emphasized that the two victims didn’t know each other. Disturbingly, investigators believe there may be other potential victims. A photograph of a handwritten note found on Lewis’s phone, apparently from a concerned parent, warned him to stop following their daughter.
The United States Attorney’s Office states that during the incidents, Lewis drove a white, four-door 1996 Oldsmobile with California license plate 3TIF671 and a brown or beige-colored, four-door 1986 Chevrolet bearing California license plate 1REC517.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon lauded the bravery of the survivors and emphasized the jury’s verdict as a powerful message against human trafficking. Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego, Shawn Gibson, highlighted the relentless cooperation among law enforcement agencies in achieving this outcome. California Attorney General Rob Bonta reiterated the state’s commitment to combating human trafficking and supporting survivors. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl underscored the importance of collaboration in protecting youth.
Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1, 2025. Authorities are urging anyone who believes they or someone they know may have had an encounter with Lewis, or who recognizes the handwriting on the note, to contact the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
