Opinion ID: 76722
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pipkins's Enterprise

Text: 39 The evidence at trial supports the jury's finding that Pipkins agreed to participate in an enterprise, the overall objective of which was to make money prostituting juveniles. The evidence presented the jury with at least two possibilities for finding that there was an enterprise: the jury could have concluded that Pipkins and KK were the chief executives in a juvenile female prostitution enterprise that they organized; alternatively, the jury could have concluded that three pimps — Pipkins, Scooby, and KK — collectively headed up a prostitution enterprise involving juvenile females. In either case, the enterprise's activities included traveling intrastate and interstate to prostitute juvenile females, recruiting juvenile prostitutes, attending the Player's Ball, mentoring a junior pimp, commingling funds and profits, and dividing the track to reduce competition among prostitutes. 40 We have previously summarized evidence that supports the notion that there was extensive cooperation among the southwest Atlanta pimps generally, all of whom associated on a continuing basis in an informal organization. But we now focus first on additional evidence that supports the conclusion that Pipkins and KK headed up a juvenile prostitution enterprise, and second, on evidence that supports an alternative conclusion that Pipkins, Scooby, and KK conducted the affairs of a juvenile prostitution enterprise. 41 Substantial evidence supports a finding that Pipkins and KK conducted a juvenile prostitution enterprise. We note some highlights. Pipkins and KK kept a stable of juvenile prostitutes, including JF5, JF6, Red, Candace (who previously worked for Moore), JF48, Sugar, Lisa, Special, Too Tall (who, although bearing a tattoo of Sir Charles on her leg, later became Moore's bottom girl), Ne-ne, Peaches, Passion, Kimberly, and China Doll. 6 Pipkins and KK provided drugs to their prostitutes, and took them to the track to work. Also, Pipkins and KK provided their prostitutes a place to live, food, clothing, condoms, and money to get their hair and nails done. 42 Pipkins brought KK into his enterprise by mentoring him as a junior pimp. After purchasing a copy of Really Really Pimpin' in Da South at a local barber shop, KK recognized Pipkins and sought his counsel on becoming a pimp. Pipkins invited KK to move into his house, and the two began a symbiotic business relationship. In addition to providing rides to the track for each other and each other's prostitutes, Pipkins and KK supervised each other's prostitutes and collected the money they earned. 43 Additionally, Pipkins disciplined his prostitutes in front of KK, teaching KK his method. For example, after Pipkins learned that JF5 had been smoking marijuana with one of Scooby's prostitutes, Pipkins directed JF5 to lay naked on the ground in front of Pipkins, KK, and other prostitutes. Pipkins then forced JF5 to have oral sex with JF6 (who had just returned from a night of prostitution) in the presence of Pipkins and KK. 44 Pipkins and KK worked the track together, with KK on-site and Pipkins appearing as necessary to prevent any disputes from escalating. The following anecdote illustrates such an agreement. JF6, one of Pipkins's prostitutes, formerly worked for Worm. While Worm was in jail, he gave JF6 to Fantastic, an unindicted pimp, but Worm later claimed that he had not been properly served. After Worm was released, KK was working the track one evening when Worm arrived and verbally assaulted JF6, who had moved to Pipkins from Fantastic. KK called Pipkins on a cell phone to inform him of the commotion, and Pipkins soon arrived to speak with Worm. Pipkins told Worm that because he got JF6 from someone else (and had apparently properly served that other pimp), Worm should consider himself served as well. 45 Most tellingly, Pipkins and KK had an agreement to operate in tandem. According to KK, Pipkins said that KK had a good catch hand and that [Pipkins] had a good turn out hand, and that I could catch the girls and he would turn them out. (R.21 at 1484.) KK explained that this meant that he was adept at finding and bringing girls to Pipkins's house; Pipkins would win the girls' loyalties, explain the rules of the game, and convince them to prostitute for him and KK. KK also worked as a tattoo artist, and tattooed Sir Charles on one of Pipkins's prostitutes. KK took several of Pipkins's other prostitutes to get tattoos for which Pipkins paid. Clearly, there was evidence to support a finding that Pipkins and KK agreed to form an enterprise to make money through juvenile prostitution. 46 As we previously noted, an alternative view that has support in the evidence is that Pipkins, Scooby, and KK collectively could be viewed as the leaders of a juvenile prostitution enterprise in which all of them participated. Pipkins traveled extensively with Scooby, driving out of town with him to prostitute females. They drove to Columbus, Georgia several times to prostitute in the back of The Foxy Lady, an adult entertainment establishment near a military base. Another time, Pipkins and Scooby went to Memphis, Tennessee to prostitute two girls at another strip club, The Queen of Hearts. Pipkins and Scooby traveled together because Scooby did not like to take long trips alone and because protection of their prostitutes was enhanced by having their prostitutes dance and work together. This benefitted the pimps because the prostitutes were more motivated to prostitute when their safety was assured. 47 While in Memphis, Pipkins and Scooby jointly persuaded a female working the drive-through window at McDonald's to quit on the spot and join Pipkins's organization in Atlanta. And, on another trip to Memphis, Scooby found a female who wanted to return with him to Atlanta to prostitute, but who did not have the looks required to join his stable. Remembering that Pipkins's driver's license was suspended and noting that this female had a car, Scooby contacted Pipkins on his cell phone and coaxed him to accept this female because she would be able to ferry both Pipkins and other prostitutes to and from the track. 48 In 1999, Pipkins, Scooby, Herman Hutson, Jr. (known as Redd), and Curtis Webb, Pipkins's tailor, along with one of Pipkins's prostitutes, traveled together to the Player's Ball in Detroit, Michigan. The Player's Ball is an annual event, akin to a nationwide pimp trade show, which rotates through major cities. At the Player's Ball, pimps showcased their finest attire and prostitutes in the hopes of being named Pimp of the Year. Pipkins, Scooby, and Redd were apparently the only pimps in attendance from Atlanta, and were disappointed to discover that the Pimp of the Year had been preselected from the host Detroit contingent. Pipkins took five prostitutes to a different Player's Ball in downtown Atlanta; Scooby also attended. 49 On another occasion, Pipkins and Scooby agreed to work different ends of the track to avoid direct competition and price undercutting between their prostitutes. Scooby testified that his and Pipkins's prostitutes had different looks. Dividing the track into discrete territories reduced the likelihood of consumer confusion and of any possible price-related problems between the prostitutes. 50 From this copious evidence, the jury could have concluded that Pipkins participated in a RICO enterprise with Scooby and KK. Pipkins and Scooby functioned horizontally, traveling together, fixing prices on the track, and recruiting and swapping prostitutes with one another. In contrast, Pipkins and KK operated vertically with Pipkins serving as KK's mentor. Pipkins allowed KK to live in his house and groomed him as a successor, looking after his prostitutes while benefitting from KK's youth and rapport with juvenile females. 51 Whether it involved Pipkins, Scooby, and KK, or Pipkins and KK alone, the jury could have concluded that there was an informal, ongoing organization. The evidence supports a finding that there was continuous association among these pimps, and that they worked together to make money prostituting juveniles. Thus, we conclude that there was sufficient evidence that Pipkins agreed to participate in a RICO enterprise. 52