Boston man indicted for allegedly sex trafficking a young woman and a minor
A Boston man was indicted Friday for allegedly sex trafficking a young adult and a teenager, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
Leon Blount III, 30, allegedly pressured, threatened, and transported the young woman over the course of about a year to take part in pornography and engage in commercial sex for his profit, the US attorney's office said in a statement. He also allegedly recruited and transported a 17-year-old girl in the summer of 2022 to engage in commercial sex , the statement said.
“Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins in the statement. “Whether labor or sex trafficking, if someone is profiting off of a person they control through threat, force or coercion, they are committing a felony.”
Blount allegedly “began grooming” the young woman in the fall of 2021, the statement said, first pressuring her to create pornographic videos that then were posted online.
He then allegedly insisted that she engaged in commercial sex for him, the statement said. She was advertised on commercial sex websites and he allegedly drove her throughout Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut to engage in commercial sex, the statement said.
Blount allegedly threatened to harm her if she tried to leave, the statement said. In one instance, he allegedly threw a rock through the window of a car she was in, then pulled her out of the car, sprayed her face with pepper spray, and ran the car over her leg, causing severe injuries, according to the statement.
The teenager allegedly met Blount when she was living at a group home for transitional age adolescents, the statement said.
Between July and August of 2022, he allegedly gave her alcohol, marijuana, and transported her around New York and Connecticut to engage in sex for his profit, the statement said. Blount allegedly advertised on commercial sex websites, using her photo, directed her to “solicit sex buyers” in Brooklyn, N.Y. and put her in hotel rooms in Woburn and Hartford, Conn. to perform sex, the statement said.
Blount was arrested in September 2022, the statement said. He has remained in state custody since that time and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston Thursday, the statement said.
Isabela Rocha can be reached at [email protected].
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
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EYES ON TRAFFICKING
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.