Sayville Motor Lodge sex trafficker gets 22 years in federal prison

Delaware man known as “Wise” ran violent prostitution ring out of now-shuttered Long Island motel, prosecutors said

A Delaware man who prosecutors said ran a brutal sex trafficking operation out of the now-closed Sayville Motor Lodge was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in federal prison, authorities confirmed.

Michael Johnson, known on the street as “Wise,” was sentenced in federal court in Central Islip following October conviction of sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges. The guilty verdicts stemmed from years of criminal activity centered at the Sayville motel.

Restitution for victims will be determined at a later date, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The motor lodge was sold in 2023 to help pay for restitution to the victims.

Federal prosecutors described the Sayville inn, located near Sunrise Highway, as a hub for a long-running trafficking conspiracy. Investigators said Johnson used force, threats, fraud and coercion to control multiple women, some of whom were battling drug addiction, and compelled them into prostitution from 2014 through 2022.

Trial evidence showed Johnson confiscated victims’ earnings, controlled online advertisements, set prices, used drugs to manipulate women into staying, isolated them from others and subjected them to physical, mental and emotional abuse. Several victims testified that Johnson raped them and routinely carried a gun, prosecutors said.

Blue Point motel becomes scene of sex trafficking bust

“Today’s sentence reflects the profound harm caused by sex trafficking — a crime that strips victims of their autonomy, dignity and safety,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement. “Michael Johnson and his co-conspirators preyed on vulnerable women and treated them as commodities for profit.”

The motel itself was seized by the federal government following a November 2022 indictment that charged Johnson and several others, including members of the family that owned the property. In October 2023, the Sayville motel was sold, with a portion of proceeds earmarked to help compensate victims through Department of Justice procedures.

Several co-defendants have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, while cases remain pending against two others, prosecutors said.

_{Top: provided by the U.S. Attorney’s office.}