William Coleman, Sex Trafficking, Massachusetts 2020

A Springfield man has been sentenced to prison for sex trafficking in Massachusetts.

William Coleman, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and nine counts of sex trafficking at the U.S. District Court in Springfield on an unknown date.

Coleman, who has been in custody since his arrest on December 23, 2018, operated a prostitution business in the Springfield area, the greater Hartford, Conn., area, and other parts of Connecticut from 2016 to 2018.

According to the indictment, Coleman used violence and the drug addictions of eight female victims to coerce them into engaging in commercial sex acts with paying customers. The victims were typically required to turn over all of their earnings to Coleman, and their daily lives were tightly controlled by him.

The victims were subjected to physical assaults, sexual violence, and the withholding of drugs if they did not comply with Coleman's rules. Coleman used websites to post prostitution advertisements for the victims working for him.

Coleman faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, up to life of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of sex trafficking provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison, up to life of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Coleman will be sentenced to 186 months in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/springfield-man-pleads-guilty-sex-trafficking