Boston Man Pleads Guilty To Bronx Murder Arising Out Of Dispute Over Criminal Prostitution Business

            Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that SAMUEL L. WHITESIDE pled guilty on September 10, 2015, in Manhattan federal court to traveling interstate to commit murder to further his prostitution business, and to persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing women to travel interstate to engage in prostitution.  He pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.

            Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Samuel Whiteside has now admitted that he traveled from Boston to New York to murder a rival with whom he had a dispute over his prostitution business.  Violence that is so often associated with the prostitution business led to a murder here.  Thanks to the work of the FBI and the New York City Police Department, the murderer here has been brought to justice.”

            According to the Superseding Indictment, other documents filed in Manhattan federal court, and statements made at various proceedings in this case, including yesterday’s guilty plea:

            In the early morning hours of June 5, 2012, WHITESIDE murdered Anthony Martino (the “Victim”) by stabbing him to death in a motel room at the Metro Motel, in the Bronx, New York.  WHITESIDE attacked Martino because of a dispute between Whiteside and Martino relating to their respective prostitution businesses.

              Specifically, WHITESIDE and the Victim had a dispute about a woman who had worked for WHITESIDE as a prostitute.  WHITESIDE believed that the Victim owed WHITESIDE money related to that woman, who had been traded and sold between WHITESIDE and the Victim.  In the weeks leading up to Martino’s murder, WHITESIDE searched for Martino in order to confront him about the money he believed Martino owed to him for that prostitute.

            On the evening of June 4, 2012, and continuing through the early morning hours of June 5, 2012, WHITESIDE was in telephone contact with Martino and learned that Martino was at the Metro Motel.  During the course of that night, WHITESIDE traveled from New England to the Metro Motel.  When he arrived, WHITESIDE forced his way into Martino’s room and attacked and stabbed the Victim with a knife three times, which resulted in the Victim’s death.

            In addition, between at least January 2012 and February 2013, WHITESIDE operated a prostitution business in which he marketed the sexual services of women to male customers in exchange for money.  WHITESIDE took the women to various locations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Illinois to engage in prostitution.

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            WHITESIDE, 31, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, faces a maximum of life in prison and eight years of supervised release.  The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  WHITESIDE is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Crotty on December 8, 2015.

            Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and New York City Police Department.

            The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kan M. Nawaday and Kristy J. Greenberg are in charge of the prosecution.