Man Found Guilty Of Sex Trafficking Woman In Suffolk, Other Counties: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A Brooklyn man was found guilty of sex trafficking and other related charges after a jury trial, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Wednesday.

Michael Howell, 65, originally from Barbados, used drugs and physical violence to compel a woman to engage in sex acts for money, Tierney said.

"Michael Howell preyed upon his victim by using crack, heroin and violence to maintain control over her in order to profit from her exploitation," Tierney said in a news release. "The use of addictive substances to keep trafficking victims dependent and compliant is a particularly cruel tactic employed by human traffickers. I commend the dedicated work of our Human Trafficking Unit prosecutors and the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit for ensuring justice was served."

From April 1, 2023, through Feb. 1, 2024, Howell forced the woman to engage in sexual acts with others for money throughout Suffolk County and adjoining counties, prosecutors said.

Howell rented hotel rooms and posted advertisements depicting the woman on websites typically used to advertise sex for money, investigators said.

To gain control over the woman, Howell gave her crack cocaine and heroin and would take any money from the sexual acts that she was forced to perform, authorities said. When the woman refused to engage in sexual acts, Howell resorted to physical violence and threats to gain the woman's compliance, including slamming her head into a wall, officials said.

Howell also told the woman that she owed him money for the drugs he provided her, as well as for the hotel room she stayed in, prosecutors said. At the time of his arrest on Feb. 1, 2024, Howell was found in possession of fentanyl and a large quantity of cocaine, investigators said.

Howell was convicted on Tuesday of two counts of sex trafficking; one count of second-degree promoting prostitution; one count of third-degree promoting prostitution; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; and one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, the DA said.

Howell is due back in court on Sept. 26 for sentencing and faces up to 25 years in prison. He is being represented by Christopher Gioe.

The United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has lodged a detainer to take custody and deport Howell after he serves his sentence.