Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that WILLIAM BAZEMORE pled guilty today to sex trafficking of a female victim by force, fraud, or coercion. BAZEMORE pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “William Bazemore used violence and coercion to force a woman to engage in commercial sex for his own profit. With Bazemore’s guilty plea today, we seek to deliver justice for a victim of sex trafficking and exploitation, and to deter others from engaging in this heinous criminal conduct.”
According to the Indictment, as well as statements made during BAZEMORE’s plea proceeding:
In or about 2017, BAZEMORE was the leader of a criminal enterprise (the “Organization”) involved in various criminal acts, including drug distribution and sex trafficking, in and around New York City, Maine, and Connecticut. Members and associates of the Organization transported heroin and crack cocaine between New York, Connecticut, and Maine, at times using women suffering from drug addiction as drug couriers to secrete drugs on their persons and transport drugs and drug proceeds in vehicles controlled by the Organization. In addition, BAZEMORE and other members and associates of the Organization used force and coercion to cause a female drug customer (“Victim-1”) to engage in commercial sex for their financial gain, and took actions to prevent Victim-1 and others from cooperating with law enforcement against the Organization.
BAZEMORE, 39, of New York, New York, was arrested on March 3, 2019, while in state custody in Maine, and has been in federal custody since. BAZEMORE pled guilty to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
BAZEMORE is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Torres on March 12, 2020.
BAZEMORE’s co-defendant, Warren Bryant, is scheduled for trial on December 9, 2019.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Police Department, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
