Michael Brown Allegedly Threatened and Assaulted Victims to Force Them to Work in Prostitution
An indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, charging Michael Brown, also known as “Mack Bills,” with sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; interstate prostitution; and promotion of prostitution. The charges relate to Brown’s trafficking of women to work as prostitutes in New York, including along an open‑air sex trafficking market on a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn known as the “Penn Track,” and his transportation of women from New York to at least one other state with the intent that they engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit. Brown was arrested today and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the arrest and charges.
“As alleged, the defendant trafficked women to serve as commercial sex workers for him on the notorious Penn Track in Brooklyn and in at least one other state,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “This arrest demonstrates our commitment to protecting victims of exploitation. Our Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of sex trafficking crimes that threaten the safety and dignity of our communities, and to eradicate this blight in our district.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the FBI and the New York City Police Department Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their work on the case.
“Michael Brown allegedly trafficked multiple women to engage in prostitution, benefitted financially from their involuntary arrangement, and even threatened violence when challenged. The FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to get these criminals off of the streets to face justice for their heinous acts,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
According to court filings, between March 2026 and August 2026, Brown had numerous women working in prostitution for him on the Penn Track and other locations, and trafficked at least two of those women using force, fraud, and coercion. Specifically, evidence obtained pursuant to the investigation reflects that Brown regularly required his female victims to solicit customers on the Penn Track and other locations, including in at least one other state, and to engage in commercial sex acts with those customers. Brown collected the proceeds earned by these women after they engaged in commercial sex acts with customers, and he used threats, emotional manipulation, and violence to discipline and control them.
For example, in several communications, women working for Brown call him “daddy,” discuss giving money from “dates,” i.e., paid sexual encounters, to the defendant, and discuss posting advertisements for prostitution and tips on how to increase making money in prostitution. Brown also has messages discussing methods to discipline the women working in prostitution for him. In a message sent in or about September 2025, he talks about insubordination from a woman working for him and stated in substance and in part that he “need[s] something more creative than the gut punch for this one…” and decides he “[m]ight put that Hoe on her knees on rice.”
If convicted of sex trafficking, Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment. The interstate prostitution and promotion of prostitution charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
No comments:
Post a Comment