A South Los Angeles prostitute known as “Pretty Hoe” on social media pleaded guilty today to a federal sex-trafficking charge, admitting she used the internet to try to enlist underage girls to work for her on the streets.
Melanie Williams, 23, faces a minimum of 15 years in prison for her plea to a single count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. U.S. District Judge George H. Wu scheduled sentencing for Jan. 28.
According to prosecutors, Williams physically abused a woman she had recruited via social media to work as a prostitute. Williams ordered the unnamed victim to strip off her clothes, and then threw bleach on the woman and beat her with her hands and a broomstick, according to a court affidavit.
Federal prosecutors also contend that Williams forced the woman to tattoo “Melanie” on her face to show she was her property.
Williams — who has a large social media presence on Snapchat and Instagram — was sentenced last year to three months in jail for prostitution, according to the affidavit. She also refers to herself on social media as “the most hated hoe in LA.”
