Suspected leader of multi-state sex trafficking ring appears in court in Seattle

SEATTLE — In court on Thursday morning, Winston Burt faced a judge and pleaded not guilty to the several charges included in a human trafficking case.

Documents filed in King County Superior Court state that the defendant “leads a sex trafficking enterprise that has operated in at least three states.” According to prosecutors, Burt demanded that multiple female victims make $2,000 a day for him through prostitution, often along Aurora Avenue.

When one young woman cried and said “I want to go home,” she was violently beaten and held against her will. 

On Nov. 5, she jumped out of a third-story window of a home to escape and ended up in the middle of Aurora Avenue. A rideshare driver stopped to help, letting her into his vehicle. Investigators say Burt followed after in his Mercedes, firing gunshots. The woman made it to the hospital, and police arrested Burt the next day.

“The sad thing about this case is that this is the norm. What's unusual is that it actually got seen, she actually got help, and it's actually being addressed,” said Audrey Baedke who works for an organization called REST, an acronym for Real Escape from the Sex Trade.

Benjamin Gauen is a senior deputy prosecuting attorney who focuses on anti-trafficking cases.

“Aurora Avenue North, specifically in the Seattle area is the epicenter of sex trafficking in King County, and it's gotten incredibly violent,” said Gauen. “Over the last probably four years, we've seen a 34% average increase in the number of identified minors who have been sex trafficked in this area.”

“We know that demand has spiked for commercial sex acts,” he added.

“Sex trafficking is alive and well in our community. And we can't turn a blind eye to it. We have to be able to see what's happening and talk with others about it,” said Baedke.