Tewksbury Man Pleads Guilty For Role In Forced Sex Trafficking Ring

Thursday, November 14, 2024, 12:00 P.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

BOSTON, MA.- Yesterday, a 45-year-old Tewksbury, Massachusetts, man pleaded guilty in Federal Court in Boston, Massachusetts, for his role in a years-long sex trafficking ring that used physical force and preyed upon his victims’ drug addictions by withholding narcotics from them so they would continue to engage in the commercial sex trade.

     On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, Jermall Anderson, 45, of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to seven counts of Sex Trafficking by Force, Coercion, and Fraud; one count of Coercion and Enticement; one count of Interstate Transportation for the Purpose of Prostitution.

     After entering his guilty plea on Wednesday, Judge Casper accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for March 12, 2025. At that time, Anderson faces the potential of spending the rest of his life in federal prison and up to a $2.25 million fine. Anderson, along with two co-conspirators, was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023.

     “This case highlights both the horrors of human trafficking and the myriad ways the opioid crisis plagues our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Jermall Anderson exploited his victims’ drug addictions to force these women to sell their bodies many times a day, with Anderson pocketing all the money. He also used physical force and threats of harm to coerce these victims and keep them in line. Our office and our partners are dedicated to fighting on behalf of sex trafficking victims and bringing their traffickers to justice.”

According To Documents Filed With The Court

According to charging documents that were unsealed in the indictment, beginning in 2012 and lasting through 2016, Anderson, along with his alleged co-conspirators, used physical violence, threats, and giving and withholding heroin and cocaine to force seven different women to engage in prostitution on behalf of Anderson and his co-conspirators.

Anderson and his cohorts targeted vulnerable women, specifically those who were struggling with drug addiction, homelessness, and lack of money and resources. Anderson recruited women struggling with drug addiction directly from detox and rehabilitation facilities and forced and coerced them into providing commercial sex for his financial benefit. Anderson and his co-defendants are alleged to have trafficked the women throughout New England, New York, and New Jersey.

     “Anderson and his co-conspirators exploited women in the most inhumane ways possible. He tactically prowled substance abuse rehabilitation facilities to find women with vulnerabilities he could exploit for his own profit. Human traffickers like Anderson and his collaborators are predators who ensnare victims by offering safety only to create a climate of dependence and fear that keeps victims under their control,” said HSI New England Special Agent in Charge Michael Krol. “The Survivors of Anderson’s trafficking ring have been through so much, and we hope that today’s plea is a positive landmark in their healing.”