SAN DIEGO — A long-time sex trafficker was sentenced Thursday to more than 15 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Kevin Lamont Beal, 29, of San Diego, knowingly coerced and enticed a teenage girl to engage in commercial acts, Kelly Thornton with the Office of the United States Attorney Southern District of California stated in a news release.

In 2021, a complaint was filed against Beal, charging him with sex trafficking of underage girls and women. Beal pleaded guilty to federal charges in January 2022, prosecutors said.

“In his plea agreement, Beal admitted that he transported underage girls and women and provided them to customers for commercial sex acts, which took place in California and elsewhere from December 2016 through August 2018,” Thornton said.

Prosecutors claim Beal used his cellphone to entice and coerce an underage girl to have her engage in commercial sex acts and prostitution in San Diego County and other places.

In his guilty plea, Beal also admitted to recruiting, transporting and providing another underage girl to engage in commercial sex acts and prostitution from December 2016 through March 2017, as well as a woman from April 2018 through May 2018. 

“During this time, Beal used force against the adult female by striking her multiple times in the face causing serious bodily injuries. Beal admitted he used a combination of force and coercion to cause the adult female to engage in commercial sex acts,” Thornton said.

Beal, who has been in custody since his arrest in April 2021, also will be required to register as a sex offender and serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to pay a $5,000 mandatory penalty assessment.