A Maryland man who had pleaded guilty last year in a multi-state sex trafficking case was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Monday.
William O’Neil Murray III, 36, was also ordered to pay $94,190 in restitution to his victims by a feeral judge in Harrisonburg.
According to court documents, Murray recruited and coerced his victims into commercial sex work over an eight-month period in 2021 and 2022 by using their drug dependency as his primary method of control.
Murray, according to prosecutors, controlled his victims’ narcotics supply and usage, not allowing them to obtain drugs from anyone but himself, and used this power over his victims to manage their commercial sex transactions.
He used various commercial sex websites, such as Skipthegames.com and Backpage.com, to set up dates with commercial sex customers, set the prices and book hotel rooms, and he transported his victims to the dates.
In most cases, Murray received all the proceeds from the commercial sex acts.
“The fight against human trafficking is a cornerstone of the Department of Justice,” said Zachary T. Lee, the Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. “Every day the men and women who investigate and prosecute these cases fight to protect those who are victims of these heinous crimes. I am grateful to the FBI, Virginia State Police, and Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for bringing this matter to justice.”
“This sentencing is a powerful reminder that the FBI Richmond team will tirelessly work to free victims of sex trafficking and bring to justice those who seek to exploit their vulnerabilities for personal gain,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division. “I commend our team and partners on the I-81 Human Trafficking Task Force who investigated these heinous crimes here in Virginia and along the East Coast.”
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Chris Graham
