This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
A California man has been convicted on federal sex trafficking charges in Seattle. Prosecutors said he used “fists, lies, and manipulation to get vulnerable women to support his lavish lifestyle.” That lifestyle included a Bentley wrapped in gold.
Brandon Washington, 33, was convicted Wednesday of six federal felonies tied to a multi-state trafficking operation, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
Prosecutors said victims testified that Washington moved them through several states — including Washington, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Hawaii — between 2014 and 2021.
After a four-week trial and three days of deliberation, the jury convicted him of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion; one count of sex trafficking by fraud and coercion; and four counts of transporting women for the purpose of prostitution through coercion and enticement.
The attorney’s office noted that sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion is punishable by up to life imprisonment. Transporting a victim for prostitution is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
In court, prosecutors said women who managed to escape were left with nothing. They also said Washington obtained a $120,000 Bentley through one victim and had it wrapped in gold.
Retired Bellevue officer’s tip helped launch sex trafficking investigation
A retired Bellevue officer working security noticed a lot of men visiting a luxury apartment building in Bellevue over the course of a few weeks. The investigation then took off, with law enforcement investigators analyzing financial records, travel records, ads for commercial sex posted in online forums, and social media posts linked to the sex trafficking.
At trial, four named victims testified. According to the release, some of them described brutal assaults and threats he used to control them and other women. They earned him hundreds of thousands of dollars through commercial sex acts, according to the release.
“When women were finally able to get free from his control, they left without any of the money they had earned,” the release stated. “Evidence at trial showed that Washington used his victims’ earnings to fund his lifestyle, including luxury apartments in downtown Seattle, Bellevue, Las Vegas, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, designer clothes, fine dining, and luxury vehicles.”
Prosecutors presented text messages and social media messages in which Washington described the money he took from women he controlled.
“In those messages, he also discussed the violence he used to control them and the manipulation and promises he used to recruit other victims,” the release stated. “In some text messages, Washington stated that he was searching for victims with low self-esteem or who were otherwise particularly vulnerable targets whom he could force and manipulate into sex work.”
Washington is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2026.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
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