Man Pleads Guilty to Pimping Teenagers at Eagan Hotel for Money, Drugs

Follow Eagan Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter | Blog for us

A St. Paul man charged with pimping two underage girls at an Eagan hotel in exchange for money and marijuana pleaded guilty last Friday to a single prostitution charge, according to Minnesota court records.

Giorgio Jovan Baymon, 25, is one of two men charged in connection with the incident, which police say took place on May 9. Baymon originally faced one count of sex trafficking of minors and two counts of aiding in the promotion of prostitution of minors. He pleaded guilty to one promotion of prostitution charge, and has a sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 29.

Brandon Darnel Barnes, the other man charged in connection to the incident, also faces one count of sex trafficking and two counts of the promotion of prostitution of minors. Barnes, who is from St. Paul, is scheduled to go before a jury on Oct. 22.

Police say both men rented a hotel room in Eagan on May 9, then posted an erotic advertisement on Backpages.com featuring pictures of two underage girls in nude and partially unclothed poses. The ad included a cell phone number for one of the two girls.

Police, who interviewed one of the girls, learned that she and the other teenager had sex with three men while staying in the hotel room, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.

The girl told officers that two men responded to the advertisement and a third, who was a friend of Baymon's, gave him marijuana in exchange for sex with the girls. The girl also told police that Baymon, who had a firearm, threatened both teens.

Police obtained surveillance video from the hotel, which allegedly showed both Baymon and Barnes renting the hotel room later used by the teenagers. Investigators also located the advertisement on Backpages.com, and learned that it posted using an email account the belonged to and was used exclusively by Baymon, according to a criminal complaint.

After Baymon was arrested on an unrelated incident on June 13, police examined his cell phone, and found copies of the explicit photos that had been posted to the Backpages advertisement.

Police interviewed the second teen, who told officers she had been staying with Barnes and that the explicit photos of her posted to the Backpages ad had been taken at Barnes' home. Upon arrest, Barnes allegedly admitted he was with Baymon when the hotel room was rented, but claimed he wasn't aware the room would be used for prostitution.

Baymon has a previous conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon and felony domestic assault, according to court records. Barnes has a previous conviction for a first-degree controlled substance crime.