Man with homes in California and Arizona indicted for sex trafficking women in Seattle through force, fraud, and coercion

Seattle – A California man was indicted today by a federal grand jury for four federal felonies related to his sex trafficking of adult female victims, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Winston Cornell Burt aka “Dice Capone,” 31 of Hemet, California, was arrested November 6, 2022, after he allegedly brutally assaulted a 20-year-old woman and engaged in a rolling gun battle as she fled in a van driven by a man who picked her up from the roadway. Burt is charged federally with Sex Trafficking through Force, Fraud, and Coercion; Transportation of an Adult Female for Prostitution through Coercion and Enticement; and two counts of Unlawful Possession of Firearms. Burt will be arraigned on the indictment within the next couple weeks.

“The level of violence in this case is stunning – brutal beatings of young women, threats with firearms, emotional and physical control of every aspect of the victims’ lives,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “I commend the Seattle Police Department and King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for working quickly to get Mr. Burt in custody, thus ensuring the immediate safety of the victim and the community.”

According to records filed in the case, Burt self-identifies as a “pimp” who led a sex trafficking enterprise through California, Arizona, and Washington. The young women in the case were allegedly required to provide all the money they earned in prostitution to Burt. Three women had his name tattooed on their faces – an apparent sign of “ownership.”

On November 2, 2022, Burt assaulted the 20-year-old victim in this case by kicking her, punching her, and pistol whipping her after she indicated she wanted to stop working for Burt. The assault occurred at an Airbnb in south Seattle.  Three days later, on November 5, 2022, Burt assaulted the victim again and forced her to strip to her underwear. The victim tried to escape from the rental home by jumping out a third story window. The defendant and two women working for him forced her into a car and drove towards a motel on north Aurora Avenue. Burt was armed with a gun, but the victim was able to get out of the car and ran into traffic on Aurora wearing only her underwear. Burt and his female assistants tried to force the victim back into their car, but the victim stayed in the middle of the roadway until finally picked up by an Uber driver who saw her in distress.

Even after the victim was driven away in a van, Burt gave chase on Aurora Avenue and fired shots at the van with the victim inside. The driver was eventually able to evade Burt and called the Washington State Patrol for assistance.

Ultimately law enforcement responded to the scene and got the victim to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.

Burt was arrested on November 6, 2022, as he was attempting to leave the Airbnb in south Seattle. He has been detained at the King County Jail since his arrest.

The indictment calls for the forfeiture of both firearms, more than $24,000 in cash, and jewelry worth in excess of $100,000.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion is punishable by a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison and up to life in prison. Transportation of an adult female for prostitution through coercion and enticement is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and illegal possession of a firearm is punishable by ten years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the Seattle Police Department and the FBI with assistance from the Washington State Patrol (WSP).

Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor Ben Gauen worked closely with the Seattle Police Department and Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham on this case.