A 33-year-old California man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 210 months (17.5 years) in prison for six federal felonies related to his multi-state sex trafficking activity, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd announced in a news release.
Brandon Denzel Washington was convicted in March 2026 of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion, one count of sex trafficking by fraud and coercion and four counts of transporting women for the purpose of prostitution through coercion and enticement.
“For nearly 10 years, this defendant supported a lavish lifestyle while preying on young, vulnerable women and forcing, defrauding, and coercing them into prostitution,” Floyd said in a news release from the Department of Justice. “Multiple victims were brave enough to testify in court and told harrowing stories of abuse — emotional, mental and physical — that Washington employed to keep them earning money for his benefit. This lengthy prison term is justly deserved.”
According to records filed in the case, multiple victims testified about Washington trafficking and transporting them to and from Washington, Nevada, California, Oregon and Hawaii between 2014 and 2021.
The sex trafficking scheme was first uncovered when a retired Bellevue police officer working security noticed a large number of men visiting a Bellevue luxury apartment building over a period of just a few weeks. From there, law enforcement analyzed financial records, travel records, ads for commercial sex posted in online forums, and social media posts to identify potential victims and to gather evidence.
“This case highlights what is generally an unseen danger by the public — the targeting of vulnerable women who are forced into prostitution and human trafficking,” said Acting Homeland Security Investigations Seattle Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Washington used assaults, threats, fraud and coercion to manipulate these women into, and then to keep them in this horrendous situation. We greatly appreciate the vigilance of the retired Bellevue police officer and the work of the Bellevue Police Department as a whole. The breaking of this ring and arrest of Washington may have saved lives and after four weeks of testimony, finally provided the trafficking victims an opportunity to share their stories and be heard.”
Judge Jones will determine the amount of restitution Washington must pay to the victims at a hearing scheduled for Sept. 11.
Following prison, Washington will be on 10 years of supervised release with requirements that he complete treatment for domestic violence.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Bellevue Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kate Crisham and Celia Lee.
