Man accused of human trafficking for teenage girl he met on Instagram

OAKLAND — A Sacramento man had an active warrant for his arrest for nearly two years before police found and arrested him on suspicion of trafficking a teenage girl he met through Instagram, records show.

Darin Steele, 28, was arrested last month in Sacramento on a 2022 warrant for human trafficking and pimping charges. He was arraigned last month in Oakland and subsequently released from jail, with a court order for him to attend an upcoming hearing in September.

The victim, described by police as a 16-year-old girl at the time, told Oakland investigators in November 2022 that she met Steele on Instagram and that he began trafficking her shortly after their initial contact. She said she spent a week with him, staying in Oakland hotels and touring high-prostitution areas, and that he “provided her with protection and provided her with transportation,” police said in court records.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for Steele that same month, which remained active until his arrest on Aug. 23. Police say hotel records and vehicle information matched the girl’s statement.

Originally published: September 3, 2024 at 3:20 PM