A Gardena pimp could face the rest of his life in prison for trafficking seven girls who worked as prostitutes, forcing some of them through beatings and whippings, prosecutors said Thursday.

Laron Darrell Carter, also known as “Birdd,” “Pimpin’ Bird” and “Pi Birdd,” was found guilty in U.S. District Court on Wednesday of seven felony counts of sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud or coercion, and seven counts of transporting a child to engage in prostitution.

Carter trafficked girls as young as 13, subjecting them to beatings that included punches in the face and whippings with a belt, prosecutors said.

He faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison but the sentence could reach a maximum of life without parole.

“The evidence at trial showed that Mr. Carter bragged about being a ‘pimp,’ and that he forced girls through violence and coercion to sell their bodies for his profit,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “No child should ever be subjected to this type of exploitation, which will forever haunt them and immeasurably alter their lives.”

The case against Carter stemmed from the rescue of a 16-year-old girl in 2013. The victim told investigators that Carter recruited her to travel from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where he picked her up and gave her marijuana and Hennessy cognac. He took her shopping for a red wig and lingerie and to a Travelodge motel in El Segundo, where Carter demanded that she wear the lingerie and wig while he took sexually suggestive photos of her posing on the hotel bed.

Detectives later found those pictures on websites advertising her as: “Beautiful, fun, ready for you — 19.”

At the hotel, Carter ordered her to perform oral sex on him and had sex with her. After that, he introduced her to a prostitute named Bebe, whom he proceeded to beat because she didn’t make enough money for him one day, prosecutors said.

Carter gave the girl the name “Red Robin,” dropped her and Bebe off on Long Beach Boulevard in Compton, and told them how much to charge for sex acts. He watched them from a car and took money from them after each “date.”

At one point, the girl escaped, but called Carter later when she ran out of money. He beat her with belts and belt buckles, prosecutors said.

After she was rescued, detectives found six other girls, including a 13-year-old, who were coerced or physically forced into prostitution from 2003 to 2010.

During a five-day trial, jurors saw Facebook postings in which Carter described himself as a “cross country pimp” who worked for “Pimpin International.” Jurors were shown photographs of tattoos with the “Birdd” moniker that the victims were forced to get.

“This verdict and the possible life prison sentence it carries should give solemn pause to anyone considering selling minors for sex,” said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for homeland security investigations in Los Angeles.