SEATTLE — A Seattle man with a prior history of promoting prostitution was sentenced to prison in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday, the office of U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran announced.
Aubrey Taylor, 32, was sentenced to 275 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release for five felonies – including sex trafficking of a minor through force, fraud and coercion.
Taylor was convicted March 6 following an eight-day jury trial.
During the trial, officials said multiple victims testified that Taylor used threats, violence, sexual assault and manipulation to force them to engage in commercial sex acts in Washington, Idaho and Nevada.
At Taylor’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said Taylor “is intelligent and can be charming, and this, combined with [his] use of violence and threats gave [him] effective control over vulnerable people. But today is the judgment day.”
“This sentence should send a strong message that those who use physical and emotional coercion to force and manipulate victims into sexual slavery will be held accountable for their crimes,” Moran. “This defendant put these victims in danger every day he used them – all to satisfy his own greed.”
Scroll down to continue reading
More news from KIRO 7
- ”She could never see the child again” Wenatchee woman in Saudi Arabia faces custody battle
- Man who lived alone with rats awarded $8 million
- M3.4 earthquake hits near Ocean Shores
- 2 killed in floatplane crash in southeast Alaska; second deadly crash in one week
- Do you have an investigative story tip? Send us an email at investigate@kiro7.com
The office for Moran said records and testimony in the case show that Taylor took a 17-year-old girl to Wenatchee in October 2014, sexually assaulted her and forced her into prostitution.
Three other victims testified that Taylor controlled them with mental and physical abuse or promises of love and a better life.
Officials said the three other women were transported as far away as Las Vegs to engage in commercial sex acts.
“Taylor controlled one victim by rationing doses of heroin and using her addiction to keep her working as a prostitute. Taylor directed other victims to get tattoos of his name and nicknames as a form of branding and to demonstrate his control over them,” a spokesperson for Moran wrote in a news release.
Officials said Taylor also violently assaulted the women on multiple occasions. When police tried to get the victims' cooperation, officials said they expressed their fear of Taylor.
"This case demonstrates the great work that can be accomplished when agencies work together,” said Special Agent in Charge Raymond Duda of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office.
“The task force model and partnerships across the state resulted in the incarceration of a violent predator. Taking this subject off the street significantly contributes to keeping the community safe.”
Kent Police Commander Andy Grve said that, “Human trafficking is a serious violent crime that destroys lives and damages communities. We are deeply proud of the survivors who came forward and testified bravely in this case and we are equally proud of Kent Police Department’s investigators who worked tirelessly to put an end to this cycle of exploitation and abuse.
"It is our responsibility to hold traffickers accountable, and we will continue the fight to end this form of modern-day slavery.”
Cox Media Group
