Beverly Man Accused Of Sex Trafficking, Attack And Theft

BEVERLY, MA — Police arrested a Beverly man with a history of sex trafficking charges and accused him of forcing a homeless woman from Maine to work as a prostitute.

Robert Lee Horsley, 41, of Beverly, was ordered held without bail after a not guilty plea in Salem District Curt Wednesday on charges of trafficking a person for sexual servitude, deriving support from prostitution, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (a bat and knife), two counts of assault and battery, malicious damage to a vehicle, and larceny of more than $1,200.

Police were called to Horsley's Rantoul Street apartment Tuesday where three men had come to pick up the woman. Horsely is accused of attacking one of the men with a bat, trying to stab the woman and slashing three of the tires on the car the men from Maine had arrived in.

The woman told police Horsley had agreed to let her stay at the apartment if she worked as a prostitute. She said Horsley took her identification and Social Security disability payments, as well as the $1,700 stimulus check she received from the federal government as part of the coronavirus relief package.

The woman called her friends in Maine, saying she feared Horsely would beat her and that he claimed she still owed him $1,000 in rent.

Last year, Horsely was arrested in a joint investigation by Tewksbury police and the FBI. Horsely and another man were arrested after investigators saw them dropping women off at the hotel to provide sexual services for a fee. The hotel cooperated with investigators.