Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 30 years in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on December 20, 2017, United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller sentenced Jaboree Williams (age: 31) to 30 years in federal prison for sex trafficking. 

On September 1, 2017, a jury found Williams guilty of 18 counts related to sex trafficking, interstate transportation of a victim for purposes of prostitution, conspiracy to distribute heroin, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation and witness tampering, contempt of court, and sending an extortionate threat.

The trial evidence established that Williams enticed and recruited victims into sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion. Multiple victims testified that Williams forced them to perform sex acts with “customers” for Williams’ benefit and to turn over all of the money they received to Williams.  The evidence established that Williams trafficked his victims using a particular website and forced the victims to travel to locations outside of Wisconsin, including Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.  The victims further explained that if they broke Williams’ rules, he would severely beat them.

The trial evidence also established that during the investigation, Williams attempted to intimidate witnesses, directed witnesses to provide false testimony to a grand jury, and directed witnesses to destroy evidence.  Despite a no-contact order entered by a federal magistrate judge, Williams also gained access to the internet from jail and used social media to threaten and intimidate witnesses and victims.

United States Attorney Haanstad commended the efforts of law enforcement in bringing Williams to justice, noting, “Jaboree Williams not only subjected his victims to extraordinary levels of violence and brutality but also attempted to use threats of additional violence to intimidate witnesses and obstruct this investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and our state and local law enforcement partners are committed to working relentlessly to protect the community from these types of violent and predatory offenses.”   

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Human Trafficking Task Force and the Racine Police Department, and with the assistance of the Oshkosh Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karine Moreno-Taxman and Laura S. Kwaterski.

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