Repeat Sex Trafficker Arrested for Sex Trafficking
BOSTON – A Stoughton man previously convicted of multiple counts of sex trafficking has been arrested on sex trafficking charges.
Marvin Pompilus, 39, was charged with one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Pompilus was arrested yesterday and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was detained pending a hearing scheduled for Nov. 28, 2023.
“For years, this man allegedly victimized numerous women. Upon his release after a six-year prison sentence on sex trafficking charges, it is alleged that Mr. Pompilus almost immediately returned to targeting and exploiting vulnerable victims to line his own pocket – regularly using violence and drugs to maintain control,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that inflicts unimaginable, long-lasting trauma – and it’s happening every day in our communities. Today’s arrest underscores our office’s unwavering commitment to remove sex traffickers from our communities.”
“Marvin Pompilus is accused of exploiting his victims in the worst way. By coercing them with drugs, forcing them to engage in commercial sex, and subjecting them to violence if they refused, he took away the freedom and dignity to which these women are entitled,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “FBI Boston’s Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force will not stop working to find and help trafficked victims, to protect them from further abuse, and keep their traffickers from hurting anyone else.”
According to the charging documents, from on or about 2021 through 2022, Pompilus used force, fraud, or coercion to cause one victim to engage in commercial sex and victimized at least four others.
In February 2018, Pompilus was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of multiple counts of trafficking a person for sexual servitude and deriving support for prostitution. He was sentenced to six years in state prison and was released in October 2021.
Almost immediately following his release from state custody, it is alleged that Pompilus posed as a sex buyer and responded to the victim’s online advertisement for commercial sex. When Pompilus arrived at the victim’s location, instead of engaging in commercial sex, he allegedly recruited her to engage in commercial sex on his behalf. Over the course of the next several months, Pompilus allegedly used physical violence, threats of violence and drug-based coercion to cause the victim to engage in commercial sex on a daily basis – for which he collected all of the proceeds. It is alleged that Pompilus physically beat the victim regularly and never allowed her to seek medical treatment. At times, Pompilus manually strangled the victim and on one occasion, pointed a gun in the victim’s face. If the victim disobeyed any of the rules that Pompilus set for her, Pompilus would allegedly become physically violent or withhold drugs from the victim until she started to experience the physical symptoms of withdrawal.
It is further alleged that Pompilus used a driver to drive him to deliver drugs or pick up money from other vulnerable women who he was coercing to engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit. Pompilus allegedly used force, physical violence, threats of violence and drug-based coercion to victimize at least four other women and cause them to engage in commercial sex.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
The charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston and Randolph Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley-Cunniffe, Chief of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Tokash of the Justice Department’s Human Trafficking Protection Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.