Boston man found guilty of sex trafficking Maine woman

A Boston man has been found guilty of sex trafficking a Maine woman.

Ricardo Middleton, 32, was found guilty of sex trafficking a 25-year-old woman living in South Portland, as well as instructing a co-defendant to not incriminate him, on Friday in U.S. District Court in Maine, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Middleton targeted the woman, who was addicted to heroin, and coerced her into sex work, using drugs, lies, intimidation, violence and rape to control her, the U.S. attorney’s office said Monday afternoon.

Over one three-day period in November 2015, Middleton and his co-defendants — Sherry Jones of Dorchester, Massachusetts, and Mathew Thatcher of Scarborough — trafficked the woman to several locations across Maine and Massachusetts.

During this time, Middleton berated the woman, slapped and punched her, threw pennies at her when she complained of hunger and asked for food, raped her and told her that he was “going to make a lot of money off” her, according to a summary of testimony provided by the U.S. attorney’s office.

“The prosecution of human trafficking in Maine is a top priority for my office, and this verdict ensures that Middleton will be held accountable for this unconscionable crime,” said Darcie N. McElwee, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maine. “Human trafficking takes advantage of our most vulnerable citizens and seeks to rob them of their basic human rights. Middleton perpetrated significant violence upon this victim, including sexual assault, all to coerce and exploit her into committing commercial sexual acts for Middleton’s own profit and gain.”

Before the trial, Jones pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, and Thatcher pleaded guilty to interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Neither testified at trial.

All three will be sentenced at a later date.

Middleton faces a minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison for his crimes. A judge will determine his sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant statutes.

“This defendant preyed on this vulnerable victim, and used cruel and brutal violence to coerce her into commercial sex acts for his own financial gain,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We thank this survivor for coming forward and courageously reporting her harrowing experience. The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute human trafficking crimes to hold offenders accountable, to seek justice for survivors and to affirm their rights and dignity.”