Aubrey Taylor ‘Uno’ Gets 23 Years for Sex Trafficking

Aubrey Taylor, 32, known as ‘Uno,’ was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 276 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release for five federal felonies, including sex trafficking of a minor through force, fraud, and coercion. The ruling marks the end of a years-long investigation into a violent pimp who exploited vulnerable women across Washington, Idaho, and Nevada.

Taylor was convicted on March 6, 2019, following an eight-day jury trial that exposed a brutal pattern of control, manipulation, and physical abuse. Multiple victims testified that Taylor used threats, sexual assault, and psychological manipulation to force them into commercial sex acts. He collected every dollar they earned while moving them between cities, including Wenatchee, Las Vegas, and Spokane, treating human beings as commodities in a brutal underground trade.

One victim, just 17 years old, was taken to Wenatchee in October 2014, sexually assaulted, and immediately pushed into prostitution. Other women told jurors they were controlled through heroin addiction, with Taylor rationing doses to ensure compliance. He demanded tattoos of his name and street monikers — a form of branding that reinforced his dominance and instilled fear.

Taylor didn’t just exploit — he terrorized. Victims described repeated violent assaults, and court-seized text messages revealed Taylor’s calculated efforts to recruit more women using threats and lies. Even when law enforcement and medical professionals intervened, the women expressed paralyzing fear of retaliation, a testament to the psychological prison Taylor had built.

U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik didn’t mince words at sentencing: ‘He is intelligent and can be charming, and this, combined with his use of violence and threats gave him effective control over vulnerable people. But today is the judgment day.’ U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran called the sentence a warning: ‘Those who use physical and emotional coercion to force victims into sexual slavery will be held accountable.’

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office, the Kent Police Department, and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office as part of the North Sound Child Exploitation Task Force, with critical support from police in Auburn, Bellingham, and Wenatchee. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Crisham and Rebecca Cohen prosecuted. Kent Police Commander Andy Grove praised the survivors: ‘We are deeply proud of the survivors who came forward and testified bravely in this case.’