Burlington Man Who used Drugs, Beatings To Force Women Into Prostitution Gets 18-Year Sentence

BURLINGTON, MA -- A Burlington man who coerced a women into working as prostitutes with threats beatings and by giving her heroin was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a U.S. District Court judge in Boston. Barry Davis, 38, of Burlington, had pleaded guilty to three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and three counts of interstate transportation with intent to engage in prostitution in March. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris also sentenced Davis to three years of supervised release.

In March 2015 Davis promised a woman he met in a driving class a steady supply of heroin if she left with him. He then drove her to New jersey where he rented a hotel room and posted an online ad for sex. Davis kept the money the woman was given for having sex with men who responded to the ad. In addition to using heroin to coerce the woman into working as a prostitute he punched her in the head and threatened further harm if she did not continue to work as a prostitute.

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Davis ran a similar scheme in August 2015 with two women he picked up at a drug detox center. Davis drove the two women to a hotel in Connecticut and coerced them into prostitution with a supply of heroin. He also hit one of the woman and threatened the other if she did not earn enough money.

Patch file photo by U.S. Attorney's Office Boston.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).