Nev. man sentenced in forced prostitution

LAS VEGAS, July 20 (UPI) -- A Las Vegas man found guilty of raping and forcing a Canadian tourist to work as a prostitute for him has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

Charles Ford, 49, was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison Wednesday for five felony counts involving a woman who had been working as a prostitute in Los Angeles while sightseeing in the United States, the Las Vegas Sun reported Tuesday.

The victim had testified she had been a prostitute as a teenager but had stopped for many years and had raised a family. While on vacation in Los Angeles in January from her home in Alberta, Canada, she said, she decided to earn money for herself as a prostitute.

She met another prostitute in LA and the two women agreed to drive to Las Vegas, she said, where she was introduced to Ford.

Prosecutors say that through threats and intimidation Ford coerced the Canadian woman into working as a prostitute for him, making about $2,500 for him over two nights.

The victim said Ford obtained personal information about her, took her driver's license and her laptop computer, isolated her, monitored her phone calls and e-mails, and sexually assaulted her from Jan. 1-3.