Jury Convicts Lake Worth Resident of Sex Trafficking and Obstruction

Today, a West Palm Beach federal jury convicted a Lake Worth resident of sex trafficking and obstruction of a sex trafficking investigation.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, David Aronberg, State Attorney for Palm Beach County, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), Miami Field Office and Ric Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) made the announcement.

Alston Orlando Leroy Williams, 42, of Lake Worth, Florida, was convicted at trial of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1) and (b)(2), three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1) and (b)(1), and one count of obstructing a human trafficking investigation, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591(d) (Case No. 18-CR-80053). The sentencing hearing, to be held before U.S. District Court Judge Robin L. Rosenberg, will be scheduled at a later date.  At sentencing, Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a combined statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.  

            According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, from 2008 through 2017, Williams trafficked multiple women, including two juveniles, for commercial sex throughout Florida.  Williams had the women live at his homes and travel to hotels and other locations to meet adult men and engage in sexual acts for money.  Williams used force, violence and coercion to traffic the women and kept all of the money earned by the victims.  He was arrested on November 29, 2017 on related state charges, before being charged and convicted federally.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigation efforts of the FBI, PBSO, and the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force in this matter.  Mrs. Fajardo Orshan thanked Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg for the 15^th Judicial Circuit and his staff for their assistance with this investigation.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.