NORFOLK, Va. — Author's note: The video above is on file from January 2021.
A Norfolk man was convicted Thursday on several charges of sex trafficking, drug and firearms, less than two years after leaving state prison for a previous conviction.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said 34-year-old LeAnthony Winston, a six-time convicted felon, was accused of sex trafficking, fraud, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and other drugs, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wiston obtained a gun and began selling methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine and cocaine base shortly after leaving prison in December 2019.
From March through May 2020, Winston trafficked two women in Norfolk and coerced them into engaging in commercial sex. He also gave the women drugs, including methamphetamine and crack.
On April 15, 2020, Norfolk police officers responded to the Ocean View Inn Motel after Winston committed violence against one of the women in a dispute about money.
The patrol officers arrested Winston after the woman told officers that she was assaulted. The case was referred to Norfolk vice and narcotics detectives for a further investigation.
When Winston was arrested, he had approximately 16.8 grams of crack cocaine on him. In the hotel room, law enforcement found the second female victim and Winston’s loaded firearm.
After his arrest, Winston continued to coerce the second female to engage in commercial sex, claiming that he would be out on a bond. He also threatened her over a phone call from jail.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said this information was presented during Winston's trial.
Winston is set to be sentenced on March 7, 2022, to face a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.
