A Lynn man, Anthony Coleman, was sentenced on Mar. 18 in federal court in Boston to 12 years in prison for financially benefiting from trafficking two women for sex and coercing them to travel across state lines for prostitution.
The case highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable individuals who lost jobs or homes, making them targets for exploitation. Authorities said Coleman targeted victims during the shutdowns between March and August of 2020.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns imposed a sentence of 12 years imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Coleman was also ordered to pay $77,000 in restitution. He pleaded guilty in December 2025 to two counts each of benefitting financially from trafficking and knowingly persuading and coercing a person to travel for prostitution. He has been held in federal custody since his arrest following an indictment by a grand jury in March 2024.
According to prosecutors, Coleman had his victims move into his residence, controlled their online commercial sex advertisements, provided scripts for negotiating with buyers, transported them to hotels and other locations, and required them to give him all proceeds earned from commercial sex acts. He also coerced the victims into having sex with him regularly.
One victim was recruited after losing her job due to the pandemic and sometimes forced into sexual acts with up to sixteen clients per day while all profits went directly to Coleman. She was also taken out-of-state—including trips to Florida—for commercial sex work and subjected at times to physical abuse including threats of drowning.
A second victim was recruited after being evicted from her home during business closures caused by COVID-19 restrictions; she engaged in commercial sex under Coleman’s direction before being persuaded by him in May 2020 to travel as far as California for this purpose. After leaving him, she received threats against her family members from Coleman.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said valuable assistance came from Homeland Security Investigations New England Special Agent Michael J. Krol as well as local police departments including Massachusetts State Police and Revere and Cambridge Police Departments.