Anthony Coleman, 34, from Lynn, was arrested and charged with trafficking three women by either force, fraud, or coercion and sending one to another state for prostitution.
According to a statement made from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Coleman preyed on women who were struggling financially and had lost either their home or job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coleman allegedly had women move into his house in Lawrence, created sex advertisements for them, gave the women scripts for commercial sex buyer negotiation payments, and gave transportation for the women to their sex services.
“It is further alleged that Coleman also regularly coerced and forced his victims to have sex with him,” the statement reads.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy spoke more on the matter in the statement, describing how Coleman “allegedly forced these women to sell their bodies, took their money, and violently assaulted them to make sure they obeyed his commands.”
The statement briefly described the three situations mentioned in the indictment.
One of the alleged victims specifically lost her job due to the pandemic. She allegedly would serve up to 10 to 16 clients a day, with Coleman allegedly taking all her profits. The statement added that she had been taken to Florida multiple times, where Coleman allegedly forced her to engage in commercial sex.
The individual had also allegedly been abused by Coleman, including being held underwater once; being punished by being forced to walk outside on broken glass; being thrown against a wall, causing a concussion; and having his phone thrown at her so hard it caused a visible eye injury.
The second alleged victim had been kicked out of her house during the pandemic and struggled to find a job. She also allegedly was not paid for engaging in commercial sex and was verbally abused. Coleman allegedly threatened to hurt her family if she left.
The third alleged victim was also mentioned and described as homeless at the time. Like the other two, all her earnings allegedly had to go back to Coleman. Coleman also would allegedly physically and verbally assault her, and she recalled being struck in the face, having her hair pulled, and being strangled and forced to the ground.
“Human trafficking is abhorrent whenever it occurs and it is typically the product of exploiting a victim’s vulnerability, in this case the onset of a pandemic,” Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Michael J. Krol said. “Mr. Coleman now faces real consequences for his alleged conduct and his victims will finally be free of his torment.”
The statement concluded with a reminder that if anyone from the public feels like they have been a victim of commercial sex trafficking, they should contact [email protected]. It added that anyone impacted by human trafficking who feels that they need more information and resources should visit https://polarisproject.org/.
