Abdullah Hamidullah, a 43-year-old Florida man, has been ordered to pay $1,179,000 in restitution to six victims of his sex trafficking and interstate prostitution enterprise. The order was handed down by U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza in Orlando, Florida.
Hamidullah was previously sentenced to 482 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and related interstate prostitution violations on June 17, 2016. As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to pay restitution to the six victims identified in the indictment.
According to the court’s findings, Hamidullah engaged in ‘fraud and deception to lure young women’ whom he then ‘enslaved … using violence and intimidation and permanently branding them as [his] property.’ The court cited violent physical and sexual assaults perpetrated by Hamidullah ‘out of greed,’ demonstrating his capacity to ‘view these women as nothing more than property.’
‘Victims of sex trafficking can never be truly compensated for the horrors that they have endured,’ said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow. ‘However, our Office is firmly committed to seeking restitution in these cases to help victims transition to normal lives.’
‘This defendant preyed on vulnerable young victims and cruelly exploited them for his profit,’ said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. ‘The Trafficking Victims Protection Act requires traffickers to pay restitution to their victims, with good reason. Restitution compels traffickers to relinquish the proceeds of their crimes, and helps restore victims to lives of independence and freedom.’
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Orlando-based Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda of the Middle District of Florida, and Trial Attorney William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Hammidullah’s sentencing hearing took place on February 23, 2017. The court’s findings and sentencing demonstrate the severity of the crimes committed by Hamidullah and the importance of holding traffickers accountable for their actions.
The restitution order is a significant step towards justice for the victims of Hamidullah’s sex trafficking and interstate prostitution enterprise. It serves as a reminder of the devastating impact of human trafficking and the importance of seeking restitution for victims.
Related Federal Cases
- Edward Walker, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2020 · Florida
- Henry Lee White, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2022 · Florida
- Mateus Fernandes Evangelista Da Silva, Child Sex Trafficking, Florida 2021 · Florida
- Shannima Yuantrell Session, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2011 · Florida
- Dontae Dajuan Burton, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2024 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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