U.S. Attorney: Woonsocket man 'enslaved' 5 women, forced them into prostitution
BOSTON – A Woonsocket man who used violence and threats to force five women into prostitution across seven states for nearly a decade pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Boston courtroom, law-enforcement officials in Massachusetts announced.
Ronald Hall, 48, pleaded guilty to five counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of transportation of an individual with intent to engage in prostitution, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael S. Rollins said in a press release.
“The trauma inflicted upon victims of sex trafficking is beyond measure," Rollins said. "For nearly a decade, Mr. Hall used violence and threats to target and exploit five separate victims across seven different states. This man targeted vulnerable women with substance-use disorders and essentially enslaved them. The behavior he engaged in was unconscionable."
'Force, threats and coercion'
According to Rollins, from at least late 2010 through late 2019, Hall used "force, threats and coercion" to traffic five women between Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Florida and Nevada to engage in prostitution.
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Hall used their drug addictions to coerce them into engaging in sex in exchange for drugs, according to Rollins. He regularly scheduled them to engage in sex, sometimes multiple times a day, and kept almost all of the money for himself, Rollins said. He punished victims who didn't meet quotas by withholding drugs or through violence, according to Rollins.
"Hall subjected his victims to starvation, regular threats of injury, physical abuse, forced intercourse, violent assaults with weapons including knives, belts and bats, and made some of the victims brand themselves with a tattoo of his nickname," Rollins said in the press release.
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Sentencing for sex trafficking
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Nov. 3.
The charge of sex trafficking carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to a lifetime in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of transportation for purposes of prostitution has a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Massachusetts State Police Supt. Col. Christopher Mason and Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England Matthew Millhollin joined Rollins in announcing the guilty pleas.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Woonsocket man who 'essentially enslaved' women admits sex trafficking
