Tampa Brothers Hudson, Williams Get 70 Years for Sex Trafficking Minors

Antawan Hudson, 31, of Tampa, and his brother Maurice Williams, 26, have been sentenced to a combined seventy years in federal prison for conspiring to traffic underage girls into the commercial sex trade using force, fraud, and coercion. Hudson received 30 years after pleading guilty on the first day of trial; Williams was sentenced to 40 years after a federal jury convicted him on May 20, 2016. The sentences, handed down by U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew, mark a brutal end to a sordid operation that preyed on vulnerable minors across central Florida.

According to trial evidence, the brothers worked in tandem to exploit underage females, posting explicit ads online and shuttling victims across the region to fulfill paid sex acts. They controlled the girls through manipulation, drugs, and financial dependency, seizing most or all of the proceeds while offering fleeting rewards—like beauty treatments or alcohol—as psychological leverage. The arrangement wasn’t protection. It was predation masked as partnership.

Williams, sentenced on September 28, 2016, was the ringleader in the conspiracy, directing Hudson in the logistics of moving victims and managing the illicit revenue stream. The FBI’s investigation peeled back layers of coordination: online ad schemes, travel records, and testimony from survivors painted a damning picture of systematic abuse. The prosecution relied heavily on digital evidence and victim statements to prove the brothers’ joint criminal enterprise.

Assistant United States Attorneys Stacie Harris and Daniel George prosecuted the case with a no-frills intensity, emphasizing the calculated nature of the crimes. “This wasn’t random exploitation—it was a business model built on stolen childhoods,” Harris stated during sentencing arguments. The convictions underscore the federal government’s commitment to dismantling trafficking rings, no matter how tightly bound by blood or silence.

The case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department’s nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. By pooling federal, state, and local resources, the program targets predators who manipulate, coerce, and profit from minors. The Tampa case exemplifies the initiative’s reach—identifying victims, tracking digital footprints, and securing long-term sentences to deter future offenders.

Federal authorities warn that trafficking networks often operate in plain sight, masked by online platforms and transient lifestyles. The sentencing of Hudson and Williams sends a clear message: those who commodify children will face relentless prosecution. The FBI continues to urge the public to report suspected trafficking at tips.fbi.gov. For more on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.