Man convicted of human trafficking in San Luis Obispo

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - A man has been convicted of human trafficking a 14-year-old girl in San Luis Obispo in 2018. Lucian Lee Edward Banks will face a maximum of 15-years-to-life in state prison when he is sentenced in April.

After a 12-day trial, a jury returned a verdict after several hours of deliberation.

“We are grateful for the jury that came in to serve during this pandemic,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “This just verdict was a result of a lot of hard work and collaboration of our San Luis Obispo County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force that we started in late 2014.”

Banks was arrested during a traffic stop on October 5, 2018. San Luis Obispo police officer Quenten Rouse believed Banks was trafficking a 14-year-old for commercial sexual exploitation. Authorities say the 37-year-old Banks did so by using force, fear, fraud, deceit, coercion, violence, duress, menace, or threat of unlawful injury.

The San Luis Obispo District Attorneys Office reports that the trafficking survivor is doing very well in school and plans to be a beautician in the future.

If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave – whether it is commercial sex, housework, farm work, construction, factory, retail or restaurant work, or any other activity call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at: 1-888-373-7888 or Text 233733 (BE FREE).

Locally you may contact: Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP; text “SLOTIPS” plus your message to CRIMES (274637). You can also call the District Attorney Victim Witness Assistance Center at (805) 781-5821 or toll-free (866) 781-5821.