Santa Rosa Man Sentenced to Prison for Pimping and Other Crimes

Defendant Zander Flores, 20 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Vernon Nakahara to serve a total of 7 years in custody (one year having already been served at the local jail and the remainder to be served in state prison) following Flores’s no-contest pleas in June to one felony count of pimping, one felony count of criminal threats, one felony count of oral copulation with a minor, and one misdemeanor count of possession of child pornography.

uez stated, “Unfortunately, many of the instances of pimping, pandering, and trafficking of minors we see are perpetrated by those professing to be the romantic partner of the victim. This type of exploitation compounds the trauma inflicted on victims, and often further discourages their cooperation with law enforcement. We hope the resolution of this case can bring some closure to the victim.”

Flores’s case stemmed from an investigation by Santa Rosa Police Department, during which it was learned that the defendant had arranged for the victim, a minor, to perform sex acts with others in exchange for money in San Francisco. At the time, the defendant was in a form of a dating relationship with the victim and had engaged in sex acts with the minor. Further investigation confirmed that a second individual, Rodrico Anthony Lopez, Jr., 23 years old of Santa Rosa, was involved in pimping the minor victim as well.

Prior to proceeding to a preliminary hearing, Flores entered into a negotiated resolution of his case with the District Attorney’s Office. Per the terms of the agreement, Flores pled no-contest to three felony offenses and one misdemeanor offense for pimping, criminal threats, oral copulation with a minor, and possession of child pornography. Flores’s conviction for criminal threats is considered a “strike” offense under California’s Three Strikes Law. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years. During the sentencing hearing, the victim spoke about the trauma she experienced after being used and manipulated by someone she thought loved her. The defendant also provided a statement, taking responsibility for what he did and expressing remorse for the harm caused to the victim and her family.

The co-defendant, Rodrico Lopez, also entered into a negotiated resolution with the District Attorney’s office and pled no-contest in June to felony criminal threats, felony oral copulation with a minor, misdemeanor possession of child pornography, and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2026, to serve a year in custody, with a total term of 5 years and 8 months suspended pending successful completion of probation.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Christina Stevens, assisted by Victim Advocate Lucia Hernandez. Detective Tanya Wagner of the Santa Rosa Police Department headed the investigation.

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