Kai Whitney Sommers admits to sex trafficking minors in federal court
The case involves victims aged 14 and 16 who were allegedly groomed and coerced
Kai Whitney Sommers, a California registered sex offender, has pleaded guilty to federal sex trafficking charges involving two teenage girls, just months after being released from state prison for prior child sexual offenses, prosecutors said.
The 38-year-old Ventura County resident entered his guilty plea on May 14 in federal court, admitting to one count of sex trafficking of minors, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Prosecutors said Sommers was released from state prison in June 2023 after serving time for a 2021 Los Angeles case involving sexual offenses against a minor. In that case, he allegedly met a girl in an online chat room, groomed her with promises of escort work, and later sexually assaulted her at his home.
After his release, Sommers was placed on post-release community supervision in Los Angeles County before later being transferred to Ventura County supervision. As part of his conditions, he was prohibited from using internet-capable devices.
Despite those restrictions, prosecutors said probation officers searched his home in August 2023 and found digital devices containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Investigators also determined he had been communicating with a minor through a teen-focused messaging platform during the same period.
Authorities said Sommers targeted two victims, aged 14 and 16, initially contacting them online before moving conversations to encrypted messaging apps, where he allegedly encouraged them to engage in commercial sex work and arranged escort advertisements falsely portraying them as adults.
Prosecutors further said he impersonated the victims in communications with adult clients and instructed them to claim they were 18 if questioned. One of the minors was later coerced into meeting two adult men for paid sexual acts.
Sommers also admitted in his plea agreement to possessing nearly 150 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on his phone and distributing such material, federal prosecutors said.
He was previously charged in July 2024 in an 11-count federal indictment, including sex trafficking of minors and online enticement offenses, and has remained in federal custody since June 2024.
Sommers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for September 24.