Brandon Denzel Washington, Sex Trafficking, Washington 2023

A California man who allegedly forced women into prostitution using assaults, threats, and manipulation has been arrested in Seattle and charged with four federal felonies related to human trafficking.

Brandon Denzel Washington, 30, of California, appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle on May 6, 2023 and was ordered detained pending trial. Washington is charged with four federal felonies, including two counts of Sex Trafficking through Force, Fraud, and Coercion.

The indictment alleges that Washington transported the victims to engage in prostitution, with one victim being transported from California to Washington State and elsewhere, and the second victim being transported from Washington to Hawaii and elsewhere.

The investigation into Washington’s sex trafficking scheme was first uncovered when a retired Bellevue Police Officer working security noticed a high number of men visiting a luxury apartment building in Bellevue over a period of just a few weeks.

Law enforcement investigators analyzed financial records, travel records, ads for commercial sex posted in online forums, and social media posts to identify victims of Washington’s sex trafficking activities and to gather evidence of the offenses.

According to records filed in the case, two different women have provided law enforcement with detailed accounts of the brutal assaults Washington used to keep the victims in his control and earning money for him through commercial sex acts.

Washington is alleged to have trafficked multiple women through California, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, Florida, New York, and other states. He allegedly forced one victim to sign a ‘contract’ in blood spelling out that she had to earn $200,000 per year for him and ‘submit completely to him’ – even asking permission to leave the house.

Washington’s social media posts indicate he remains active in human trafficking, bragging about his luxury residences, vehicles, and wealth.

Sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion is punishable by a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison. Transporting a victim for prostitution is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin H. Becker.

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