A federal judge sentenced a California man Friday to 17½ years in prison for trafficking women across several states through violence, threats, fraud and coercion.
Brandon Denzel Washington, 33, received a 210-month sentence in US District Court in Seattle after a jury convicted him in March of six federal felonies, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
The convictions included conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion; sex trafficking by fraud and coercion; and four counts of transporting women for prostitution through coercion and enticement.
Washington trafficked women in Washington, California, Nevada, Oregon and Hawaii between 2014 and 2021, according to prosecutors.
Five women testified during the four-week trial. They described physical assaults, threats and psychological manipulation that Washington used to control them and take the money they earned through commercial sex, prosecutors said.
“For nearly ten years this defendant supported a lavish lifestyle while preying on young, vulnerable women,” First Assistant US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said.
Washington used the women’s earnings to pay for luxury apartments in Seattle, Bellevue, Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to evidence presented at trial. Prosecutors said he also spent the money on designer clothing, expensive meals and luxury vehicles.
One woman provided Washington with a Bentley valued at more than $120,000, according to prosecutors. Washington had the car wrapped in gold and displayed his lifestyle on social media as part of his efforts to recruit other women.
Investigators found messages in which Washington discussed taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the women he controlled. Other messages described violence and efforts to target women with low self-esteem or other vulnerabilities, prosecutors said.
The investigation began after a retired Bellevue police officer working in private security noticed numerous men visiting a luxury apartment building over several weeks, according to federal officials.
Police later reviewed financial and travel records, online advertisements for commercial sex and social media posts to identify victims and gather evidence.
Women who escaped Washington’s control left without the money they had earned, prosecutors said.
Assistant US Attorney Celia Lee contrasted Washington’s family support with his treatment of the women during Friday’s sentencing hearing.
“He sold them a lie and then he sold them over and over to strangers,” Lee said.
US District Judge Richard Jones told Washington that prostitution was often called the oldest profession but was, “in actuality, the oldest oppression.”
Jones said Washington would eventually receive a release date, but there was “no expiration date” for the suffering he caused his victims.
Prosecutors had requested a sentence of 292 months, or more than 24 years.
Washington must serve 10 years of supervised release after completing his prison term. His supervision will include a requirement to undergo domestic violence treatment.
Jones scheduled a Sept. 11 hearing to determine how much restitution Washington must pay the victims.
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