Maryland man pleads guilty to sex trafficking of women across six states
MIAMI — What prosecutors describe as a campaign of violence, intimidation and exploitation spanning six states has ended with a Maryland man pleading guilty to federal sex trafficking charges. Brandon Sartor, 33, of Prince George’s County, admitted Thursday to two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion after prosecutors alleged he used beatings, threats, sexual abuse and control over drugs to force two women into repeated commercial sex acts for his financial benefit.
Court documents allege that Sartor trafficked the two women between December 2024 and April 2025, exploiting them in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
According to prosecutors, Sartor initially recruited each woman by falsely promising to help her make money. He allegedly then took control of the money they earned and forced each victim to engage in commercial sex with as many as 10 men a day.
Prosecutors say Sartor used repeated physical violence and threats to maintain control over the women. The alleged abuse included punching and beating the victims, sexual assault and threats to harm or kill them or members of their families.
In one particularly disturbing allegation, prosecutors said Sartor also used drugs as a means of coercion. He allegedly supplied and withheld drugs from one victim in a way that caused her to fear experiencing opioid withdrawal if she refused to follow his demands.
Federal prosecutors described Sartor’s conduct as a calculated effort to profit from the exploitation of vulnerable women.
“Brandon Sartor used violence and fear to compel the two victims to have sex with dozens of men for his monetary gain,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones called the conduct “reprehensible” and said authorities would continue pursuing people who profit from human trafficking.
The FBI and Anne Arundel County Police Department investigated the case, with prosecutors from the Southern District of Florida and the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section handling the prosecution.
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Facing at least 15 years in prison
Sartor is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He also faces the possibility of lifetime supervised release and mandatory restitution to the victims. The final sentence will be determined by a federal judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other applicable factors.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about human trafficking to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The case is being prosecuted under federal case number 26-cr-20188 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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