Music producer Ramsay Tha Great charged with pimping and pandering
A Granada Hills music producer known as Ramsay Tha Great is facing felony charges of pimping and pandering two women in Orange County, authorities said.
Brandon Christopher Ramsay, 24, pleaded not guilty Thursday to two felony counts of pimping and two felony counts of pandering by procuring, according to court records.
Orange County prosecutors said Ramsay pimped and pandered the two women — an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old — in Orange County and used the money they received from sexual acts for his own benefit.
On Tuesday, authorities found advertisements depicting the two women soliciting commercial sex. An undercover officer contacted one of the women and arranged to meet both at a motel on Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim.
After the women met with police, Ramsay called one of them on her cellphone multiple times. Shortly after, Ramsay pulled into the motel’s parking lot, where he was met by police who took him into custody.
“The defendant is accused of possessing evidence of pimping and sending text messages to the victims containing language consistent with pimping prior to his arrest,” according to a news release from the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Ramsay is being held in a Santa Ana jail in lieu of $70,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing Feb. 21.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of seven years and four months in state prison.
Ramsay made headlines last month after reporting he was assaulted by two people who robbed his home.
A Chicago rapper known as Chief Keef, whose real name is Keith Cozart, and a second man, Darron Rose, were arrested by Los Angeles police and booked on suspicion of home invasion robbery. Ramsay previously worked as Cozart’s producer.
While lying in a hospital bed last month, Ramsay described the assault in a video. He said he was awakened by someone at his door and that Cozart and another man, armed with an AK-47, pushed their way into his room and struck him in the face.
“He stole my $1,600, he stole my rings and he stole my a Rolex watch,” the producer said.
He posted photos of himself on social media that revealed bruises, swelling and a cut near his eyebrow. He also wore a neck brace.
After Cozart’s arrest, some fans criticized Ramsay and threatened to harm him for “snitching.”
This provoked an angry response on social media from the music producer.
“Yo it’s real sad to see my black community condone home invasion, armed robbery with deadly assault — hitting me the face with an AK-47,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.
For breaking California news, follow @HannahFryTCN on Twitter.
Times staff writers Richard Winton, Matt Hamilton and Veronica Rocha contributed to this report
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