Richmond man sentenced for sex trafficking of teen

SAN FRANCISCO — A Richmond man who was caught trafficking a teen girl, allegedly holding her to a quota of $500 under threats of violence, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Tuesday, court records show.

Kevin Fuqua, 33, allegedly trafficked the girl from at least August 2018 until his arrest in early 2019, when the girl was detained by Alameda County deputies on suspicion of prostitution. She initially identified Fuqua as her boyfriend but evidence on her phone suggested he was trafficking her, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also gathered evidence that made it difficult for Fuqua to deny he knew the victim’s age — he allegedly attended her 17th birthday party, according to a sentencing memo by the U.S. Attorney’s office. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge James Donato.

Prosecutors say authorities recovered text messages between Fuqua and the victim that suggested he had been violent with her.

“I just don’t see why you have to get physical,” the girl texted Fuqua, according to police.

“Why you got to act like I can’t control my b—-,” Fuqua allegedly replied.

“I understand the choke but that hit so unnecessary like you could have been like go back in the room and then did it,” the girl allegedly responded.

Donato could have sentenced Fuqua to additional time, but his attorney argued for the 10-year term, citing Fuqua’s “extremely difficult” and “chaotic” upbringing. This included being raised by a single teen mom, after his dad was incarcerated on murder charges when he was an infant.

“Mr. Fuqua was 16 years old when he first witnessed a shooting and estimated that from 2003 to 2006, he knew at least 15 people in the neighborhood that were killed by gunfire. He witnessed two murders,” a defense sentencing memo says. “He himself was shot in a drive-by shooting.”