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A Farmingville man lured a woman to a motel by pretending to be another woman, hooked her on crack cocaine, and then forced her into prostitution while threatening her family with violence.
Now Mitchell Johnson, 38, will spend up to 21 years behind bars.
Johnson was sentenced Wednesday to 15 to 21 years in prison for the sex trafficking scheme that trapped his victim in a cycle of addiction and exploitation, Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.
“Today’s sentence reflects the gravity of the harm inflicted on a victim of human-trafficking controlled by drugs and violence,” Tierney said. “While no punishment can undo the trauma, removing this offender from our streets helps protect others and stands as a commitment to those who have endured exploitation that their voices matter.”
A jury convicted Johnson on March 30 following a trial before Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei.
The jury found Johnson guilty of sex trafficking by force, two additional counts of sex trafficking, and one count of second-degree promoting prostitution.
Prosecutors said Johnson’s scheme began in March 2023, when he contacted the victim while pretending to be a woman.
Once he lured her to a motel, Johnson supplied the victim with crack cocaine to impair her judgment and coerce her into performing paid sexual acts with third parties, authorities said.
Johnson then used his victim’s addiction as a tool of control, barring her from keeping any money she earned and forbidding her from leaving the motel room alone, Tierney said.
He threatened the victim and her family with physical violence if she defied his orders, the district attorney added.
Johnson must also register as a sex offender.
Top: SCDA’s office
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