John Henry Cyprian Jr. Indicted for Sex Trafficking of Two Female V…

AUBURN, WA – A 33-year-old Auburn resident named John Henry Cyprian Jr., also known as ‘Lucky,’ has been indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts involving sex trafficking of two female victims in Washington and Oregon. The charges were announced today by U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.

Cyprian was arrested and booked into state custody in June 2014 following an investigation by the Bellevue Police Department into his alleged sex trafficking activities. He was indicted on two counts of sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion, and two counts of Transportation for the Purpose of Prostitution Through Coercion and Enticement.

Records indicate that Cyprian rented hotel rooms in SeaTac, Bellevue, Mountlake Terrace, and Portland from April 2013 until his arrest. He is accused of forcing the women to work as prostitutes at these locations and advertising them on Backpage.com and other adult sexual services websites. Cyprian is alleged to have controlled the women through beatings and threats, demanding all the money they earned.

‘Traffickers prey upon vulnerable women, convincing them that they have nowhere to go and even less value,’ said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. ‘It takes courage to break the bonds an abusive pimp uses to keep his victims under control. We will continue to work closely with state prosecutors to ensure that violent sex traffickers cannot prey on the most vulnerable in our communities.’

Bellevue Police Chief Jim Montgomery echoed Durkan’s sentiments, stating, ‘This case is yet another example of the Bellevue Police Department working with Federal prosecutors to address the issue of human sex trafficking. We will continue to work hand in hand with our partners to address this important issue.’

Cyprian faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years and up to life in prison for sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion. The transportation charge carries a sentence of up to twenty years in prison and up to three years of supervised release.