A jury has found a Farmingville man guilty of sex trafficking a woman, among other charges, on Monday, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
Mitchell Johnson, 38, faces 25 years in prison for using drugs, violence and coercion to force a woman to perform sexual acts on himself and with others for money, Tierney said.
Johnson reached out to the victim in March 2023 while posing as a woman, prosecutors said, and once they were at a motel, he supplied her with crack cocaine to fuel her addiction and impair her judgment. She then engaged in sexual acts with third parties and was forced to stay in the room with threats made to her and her family.
Prosecutors say Johnson used rules and violence to control her, and would not let her keep the money for herself.
The victim managed to escape in May 2023 and reported the abuse to police after Johnson allegedly told another person to beat her because she didn't want to have sex with buyers.
Tierney said the woman was trapped by Johnson, "in a nightmare of sex trafficking for his own profit," and "Because of this survivor’s extraordinary courage, he now faces justice for the profound harm he inflicted.”
Johnson is expected to be sentenced on April 29.