A man from Maryland has been charged by the FBI's I-81 Human Trafficking Task Force for using drug addiction to force at least five adult victims into commercial sex work. William Oneil Murray III, 35, faces charges including sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion. The victims were controlled by Murray, who managed their drug dependency, limiting their access to drugs and using this control to force them into sex work. The alleged crimes spanned multiple states, including Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Florida.
The FBI's I-81 Human Trafficking Task Force and the Virginia State Police are jointly investigating the case. This task force collaborates with law enforcement and community partners to identify and address instances of human trafficking in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Prosecutors from the United States, specifically Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanie Smith and Sally Sullivan, will handle the case. The charges highlight the severe impact of human trafficking and the efforts of law enforcement to combat such crimes and provide assistance to the victims.