Lavellous Purcell, AKA ‘King Casino,’ Convicted of Sex Trafficking in Manhattan Federal Court
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a federal jury has found Lavellous Purcell, AKA ‘King Casino,’ guilty of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and related offenses. Purcell was convicted following a one-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote.
Purcell, 40, of Hempstead, New York, was convicted of one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, one count of enticement to engage in prostitution, one count of transporting individuals in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution, one count of using interstate commerce to promote prostitution, and one count of conspiring to use interstate facilities to promote prostitution.
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and evidence presented during the trial, Purcell engaged in the sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of numerous women across the country, including in New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, from at least in or about 2012 to in or about 2017.
The victims of Purcell’s prostitution business were required to follow a strict set of rules, which he enforced through threats, fear, intimidation, and violence. The rules required his victims to: make Purcell money through prostitution, give Purcell all money earned from any commercial sex acts, call Purcell ‘Daddy,’ not speak to men other than Purcell, not look at any men other than Purcell, not talk back to Purcell, not disrespect Purcell, not have boyfriends, not wear sneakers or loose-fitting clothing, and brand themselves with a tattoo bearing Purcell’s alias, ‘Casino,’ on their necks.
Purcell recruited women to engage in commercial sex through social media websites and used Backpage.com, an online classifieds website, to post advertisements for commercial sex. He also booked various rental cars and hotel rooms to transport women across state lines to engage in commercial sex.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said, ‘Lavellous Purcell, AKA ‘King Casino,’ was a pimp with a notoriously brutal set of rules he used to keep his victims under his control. Besides physical violence and intimidation, Purcell forced the women to dress and act in certain ways, and forced them to brand themselves with a tattoo of his alias, ‘Casino,’ on their necks. Purcell even boasted about his reprehensible abuse of women on social media. Now, Purcell has himself been branded as a felon by a unanimous jury, and faces life in federal prison. We hope today’s verdict brings at least some small measure of comfort to the victims of Purcell’s unconscionable crimes.’
Purcell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, as well as maximum potential sentences that are prescribed by Congress and provided below for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. The investigation was conducted by the NYPD and the FBI’s Safe Streets initiative.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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