Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of WINSTON WILLIAMS, 42, for operating a prostitution ring and trafficking at least one woman using multiple coercive tactics, including supplying them with drugs and subtracting the price of the drugs from the profits of their commercial sexual acts, leaving them in “debt” and under his control. WILLIAMS is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with four counts of Sex Trafficking, in addition to one count of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree and one count of Stalking in the First Degree.[1]
“A hallmark of sex trafficking is coercion, which we allege was employed here through a despicable cycle of drugs and debts,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Again and again we see traffickers prey on vulnerabilities to turn a profit while maintaining control. Our Human Trafficking Unit is here to help with expert attorneys and investigators and robust victim services – please call us at 212-335-3400.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record, WILLIAMS ran a coercive and exploitative prostitution ring involving multiple women, at least one of whom he is alleged to have trafficked, from January 1, 2023, to October 31, 2023. WILLIAMS recruited women with substance abuse disorders and supplied them with drugs. He required the women to pay for the drugs by subtracting the price from their profits, causing some to build up “debts” with the defendant that he instructed them to work off by engaging in more commercial sexual acts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. WILLIAMS also employed other coercive tactics, including using violence, threatening the use of violence, and controlling the women’s access to money, food, and their phones and government identification.
The investigation into this operation is ongoing. If you or someone you know has information about forced labor, sexual exploitation, or related forms of coercion, please contact our Human Trafficking Unit at 212-335-3400.
Assistant D.A. Jeannie Campbell-Urban is handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Courtney Razner (Deputy Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit) and Jonathan Junig (Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit) and Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division), with the assistance of Senior Investigator Ariela DaSilva, Senior Investigator Sean Ryan, Digital Evidence Analyst Leslie Martinez, and Investigative Analyst Leila Jiadi.
District Attorney Bragg thanked NYPD Police Officers John Lipori and Claymont DeFreitas of the 104th Precinct, Police Officer Christopher Chacon of the Auto Crimes Squad, and Sergeant Kyle Hurst and Detective Nicholas Fasano of the Queens Warrants Squad.
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[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.