NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk man was sentenced to over 38 years in prison Monday on several charges of sex trafficking, drug,s and firearms. It comes after more than two years after finishing another sentence for a previous conviction.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, 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. He was convicted on Nov. 4, 2021.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Winston 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 homeless women in Norfolk and coerced them into engaging in commercial sex, using false promises, threats, and violence to get them to comply. 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 assaulted one of the women in a dispute about money. After the woman told officers that she was assaulted, the case was referred to Norfolk vice and narcotics detectives for 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.
While in custody, Winston continued to coerce the second victim 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 the investigation was conducted by the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as private organizations.
