OAKLAND — Two brothers are both named Lawrence Everett Henderson III, but that’s not the only thing they share: they’re also in jail for alleged sex trafficking offenses 375 miles apart, police say.
Other than their height and weight, the only thing that separates the two Henderson brothers is their age. The elder Henderson brother, 35-year-old Lawrence, was arrested in Anaheim last December, after police there say he traveled from Northern California to recruit an undercover cop who was posing as a prostitute. The younger brother, 31-year-old Lawrence, was arrested and charged with human trafficking of a minor and pimping on May 6, after an Oakland police investigation, court records show.
But that’s not all. Oakland police say that the teen girl the younger Henderson is accused of trafficking had a previous pimp when she was 14. It was none other than the elder Henderson, authorities allege.
The Oakland investigation started in January, when police detained the 17-year-old girl for violating an obscure city ordinance prohibiting “immoral dress,” as she walked along a section of International Boulevard that is widely known as an open air sex market, authorities said. Their investigation revealed that the girl had been trafficked at different times by both brothers, though only the younger Henderson faces charges related to the girl, court records show.
When the girl was being interviewed on the street by police, the younger Henderson allegedly drove by in his Audi, which was tracked by electronic surveillance to Vallejo, authorities said. Police arrested him in Vallejo on May 4. His bail has been set at $300,000, court records show,
Police said that they also recovered messages between the younger Henderson and the girl, where she calls him “Daddy” and “King,” as well as evidence the girl was being “threatened” to engage in prostitution.
The elder Henderson was charged in Orange County with pandering, attempted pimping and possessing a gun and an extended magazine, with bail set at $500,000, court records show.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report.
