Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Michael Howell, 64, of Brooklyn, was indicted for Sex Trafficking and other related charges, for allegedly forcing a Suffolk County woman to engage in sexual acts for money.
“It is deplorable and illegal to subject anyone to physical assaults and threats in order to compel them to engage in sexual acts with others for profit,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We are committed to ensuring that those who sexually exploit vulnerable individuals for a profit are held accountable for their actions.”
According to the investigation, from approximately September 2022 through February 2024, Howell allegedly forced the victim to engage in sexual acts with others for money throughout Suffolk County and in adjoining counties. Howell allegedly rented hotel rooms and posted advertisements of the victim on websites typically used to advertise sex for money. To gain control over the victim, Howell allegedly gave her crack-cocaine and heroin and would take any money from the sexual acts that she was forced to perform. When the victim refused to engage in sexual acts, Howell allegedly resorted to physical violence and threats to gain the victim’s compliance, including slamming her head into a wall.
During the time in which Howell allegedly maintained control of the victim, he also repeatedly told her that she owed him money for the drugs that he provided to her and for the hotel room that she stayed in. At the time of his arrest on February 1, 2024, Howell was allegedly found in possession of fentanyl and a large quantity of cocaine.
Howell was indicted for:
- One count of Sex Trafficking, a Class B violent felony;
- Three counts of Sex Trafficking, Class B felonies;
- One count of Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree, a Class C felony;
- One count of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B felony;
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a Class C felony; and
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.
On February 29, 2024, Howell was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis, who ordered him held on $1 million cash, $3 million bond, or $10 million partially secured bond, during the pendency of the case. Howell is due back in court on April 5, 2024, and he is being represented by Christopher Brocato, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Pamela J. Bloomfield and Vanessa McEvoy of the H.E.A.T. Unit, and the investigation was conducted by Detectives Matthew Skulavik, Joseph Collins, and Kathleen Aspromgos of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.
