Wells & DeCoteau: Traffickers Get Prison Time

BOSTON – Two men are headed to federal prison after being convicted of running a brutal sex trafficking operation stretching across multiple states. Kwamaine J. Wells, 27, of Brockton, and Akil J. DeCoteau, 28, of Boston, received their sentences this week in U.S. District Court, bringing a grim chapter to a close for the victims involved.

Wells received the stiffer sentence: 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. DeCoteau was sentenced to 18 months in prison, also with five years of supervised release. Both men pleaded guilty in September 2016 to conspiracy and transportation of an individual with intent to engage in prostitution, but the details of their crimes paint a picture of calculated exploitation.

Between April 2013 and February 2014, Wells acted as the ringleader, transporting four women between Maine, Massachusetts, and New York, forcing them into prostitution. The Department of Justice reports that Wells didn’t just profit from their misery; he actively coerced two of the women into working “around the clock,” using force and threats to maintain control. He specifically targeted women grappling with family estrangement or drug addiction, dangling promises of a lavish lifestyle or drug access to lure them into his web.

Wells operated like a cold-blooded businessman, renting hotel rooms and advertising the women’s services online. He charged customers between $100 and $200 per encounter, pocketing every penny. The cruelty didn’t stop there. Wells reportedly withheld drugs from the women if they failed to meet his financial demands, effectively weaponizing their addiction to further control them. DeCoteau, while receiving a lighter sentence, was no less complicit.

DeCoteau conspired with Wells to expand the operation, transporting women between Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. In January 2014, he recruited a woman he knew was struggling with drug addiction, offering her food, shelter, and drugs in exchange for her participation. Over a two-week period, he prostituted her in hotels across three states, posting online advertisements and retaining all the earnings. It was a cynical trade, built on desperation and exploitation.

The case was spearheaded by U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, with assistance from Matthew Etre of Homeland Security Investigations and Harold H. Shaw of the FBI’s Boston Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miranda Hooker and Leah Foley of Ortiz’s Civil Rights Enforcement Team secured the convictions. While these sentences offer some measure of justice, the scars of this operation will undoubtedly linger for the victims involved. This case serves as a stark reminder of the brutal reality of human trafficking and the predators who prey on the vulnerable.