OAKLAND — A Fairfield resident and rapper has been sentenced to five years in state prison through a plea deal with Alameda County prosecutors.
Michael Isrealishia Moore, 29, was charged last year with human trafficking and pimping of a 16-year-old girl who reported that he forced her into the sex trade and took all $5,000 in proceeds. By the case’s end, Moore — who raps under the stage name BussDown Bandy — avoided convictions on either count.
Instead, Moore pleaded no contest to robbery and witness intimidation, and was formally sentenced to five years on Dec. 18. He remains in Santa Rita Jail, pending transfer to the state prison system, records show.
The investigation started in November 2023, when Oakland patrol officers stumbled upon the girl outside of a local convenience store and struck up a conversation with her because she appeared upset. The conversation led to a police interview where she allegedly identified Moore as her pimp, according to court records.
The girl said she had been trafficked by other men, and was walking along a high-prostitution area in Los Angeles when Moore allegedly approached her, invited her to smoke marijuana, and invited her to work for him as a prostitute instead. She later identified Moore from music video on YouTube, authorities said.
The girl also reportedly told police Moore acted surprised when she told him her age but that he continued to associate with her, authorities said.
Moore was released from jail while the case was pending, but picked up another felony case in Los Angeles, resulting in a concurrent prison sentence there, records show.