Alleged New Jersey pimp shown on ‘America’s Most Wanted’ arrested on Las Vegas Strip

By Jackie Valley

Thursday, May 19, 2011 | 10:38 a.m.

Metro Police arrested an accused New Jersey pimp early this morning on the Las Vegas Strip who was featured on the "America's Most Wanted" television show in February after allegedly forcing teen runaways into prostitution.

Metro spokesman Marcus Martin said the tourist crimes unit arrested 31-year-old Jason Lamar Brown at 3 a.m. at Aria while he was playing poker. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Clark County Detention Center as a fugitive.

Brown had been charged with multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child in Atlantic City, N.J., according to the show's website.

In July 2010, Brown allegedly lured two teenage runaways from a nearby foster facility to his apartment, where authorities say he allegedly held them captive and raped them.

He then allegedly forced the girls into prostitution while serving as their pimp, according to "America's Most Wanted." Casino surveillance video showed the girls being escorted to various rooms with men.

The girls were recovered safely by the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit, but Brown had fled the state, officials said. Although from Bronx, N.Y., police believed Brown likely went to Las Vegas because of a gambling addiction, according to "America's Most Wanted."

Brown is being held without bail at the detention center, according to jail records. His first court appearance is scheduled for Monday.

Earlier this week, Fox canceled "America's Most Wanted," the long-running show profiling criminals that has been credited with helping catch more than 1,000 fugitives. The show debuted in 1988 with host John Walsh, whose young son was abducted and murdered in 1981.