Sacramento cook’s alleged secret life as an Oakland pimp detailed in court

OAKLAND — A woman who allegedly earned $500,000 as a prostitute for a Sacramento man testified that it was far from his only moneymaking venture.

Renford Evans, 41, catered for two nightclubs, worked as a cook for a well-known Sacramento chicken restaurant, and owned his own business in the food service industry, a woman known in court only as “Jane Doe” testified in court. But she added that after they parted ways, the restaurant “kingdom” Evans had built for himself “crumbled” without her.

“He came to own a food truck. He came to run two kitchens from two nightclubs to cook in,” she said at Evans’ March preliminary hearing. “But once I left all that crumbled…He lost both kitchens. He lost the food truck.”

Evans was charged in February with human trafficking, pimping, assault with a firearm, assault likely to produce great bodily injury, brandishing a weapon in public, gun possession and criminal threats. At his preliminary hearing, the criminal threats charge was dismissed but the remainder of the case was upheld, and is now headed for trial or some other resolution.

The next court date has been set for mid-September. In the meantime, Evans — who was convicted a decade ago of statutory rape and lewd acts with a minor in a sex trafficking case — is being held without bail.

Evans was arrested after allegedly assaulting the woman at an Oakland hotel. She testified the incident was the final straw for her, after beatings, backhand slaps, an incident where he threatened her with a gun. She said that she worked for him as an “escort,” and police said at the time of his arrest she estimated making $500,000 for him.

She testified he encouraged her to use condoms and go to health clinics each week to test for STDs, and that she’d turn over the money to him. It started in late 2023 until Evans was arrested, she testified.

On cross-examination, Evans’ lawyer asked what she got out of it.

“Nothing but a broken heart and a hurt face,” Doe responded. When asked to explain the “broken heart” part, she testified that despite the abuse, losing Evans from her life was an emotional process. Nowadays, she said, she is attending school and “getting myself together.”

“Once you get intertwined with someone like that it’s like having a very close friend,” Doe testified. “You don’t love them, like, romantically. You love them as if they were like a close family member.”