In the Oakland human trafficking case, one defendant is sentenced to ten years in prison, another must attend education classes

OAKLAND — As part of a settlement, a local pimp who was allegedly caught beating a woman with a gun in an area known for prostitution was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while his alleged getaway driver will receive probation and court-ordered sexual education, records show.

Clarence “C-Money” Brown III, 29, pleaded no contest to one count of human trafficking and will be sentenced to 10 years in prison on Aug. 29, according to court documents detailing the agreement. His co-defendant, 34-year-old Brittany Rivera, also pleaded no contest to aiding and abetting and will be sentenced to two years' probation on the same day.

Brown and Rivera pleaded no contest within two weeks of being arraigned, an unusually quick resolution for a case of this magnitude.

Brown was charged in connection with a May 30 attack near International Boulevard and 13th Avenue in Oakland, an area known as a hangout for sex workers. Undercover Oakland police officers were conducting surveillance when they reportedly observed Brown pistol-whipping a woman and putting the gun to her head. He then allegedly threw her against the door of a liquor store, got into a 2013 BMW where Rivera was waiting, and fled.

Police say they found text messages between Brown and Rivera in which they discussed recruiting the woman who attacked Brown into prostitution. Rivera later reportedly told police she was trying to calm the situation and prevent the attack.

Brown was banned from owning guns in part because he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2018. The conviction stemmed from a tragic 2017 accident that killed Brown's 5-year-old daughter, Neveah Brown, and Brown's boyfriend, 23-year-old Dion Christy, according to court records and media reports. He was later sentenced to four years in prison.

Originally published: August 15, 2024 at 3:55 p.m.