‘Uncle Bill’, kingpin in US sex trafficking ring, gets 17 years

Sex trafficker “Uncle Bill”, who coerced hundreds of Thai women to engage in commercial sex acts across the United States, has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.

Michael Morris, 66, aka Uncle Bill, is one of 36 people convicted of being as part of an international Thai sex trafficking organisation.

US Attorney Erica H MacDonald on Aug 24 announced the sentencing of Morris to 208 months in prison for his role in operating a massive international sex trafficking organisation that was responsible for coercing hundreds of Thai women to engage in commercial sex acts across the US. He was sentenced by Senior Judge Donovan Frank in the US District Court in St Paul, Minnesota.

Following a six-week trial, on Dec 12, 2018, a federal jury convicted Morris and four other defendants for their roles in operating the sex trafficking enterprise. Thirty-one defendants pleaded guilty prior to the 2018 trial. To date, 29 defendants have been sentenced.

“Sex trafficking continues to be a repugnant local, national, and international crime that preys on vulnerable populations,” said Ms MacDonald.

The sex trafficking organisation coerced hundreds of women from Bangkok to engage in commercial sex acts in various cities across the US, including Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Washington, DC, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, and Austin.

The trafficking victims were forced to participate in the criminal scheme through misleading promises of a better life in the United States and the ability to provide money to their families in Thailand.

Once in the United States, the victims were sent to houses of prostitution, including the three that Morris ran in southern California, where they were forced to have sex with strangers — every day — and having sex with up to 10 men a day. The victims were isolated from the outside world, and their families in Thailand were threatened, Ms MacDonald said.

The organisation also engaged in widespread visa fraud to facilitate the international transportation of the victims and engaged in sophisticated money laundering to promote and conceal illegal profits. During the investigation, law enforcement traced tens of millions of dollars to the organisation.

Multiple agencies assisted in the five-year probe including the Homeland Security Investigations, the IRS, and the Department of Justice.