Man Sentenced For Human Trafficking Case In Woburn

WOBURN, MA -- Middlesex Superior Court Judge Merita Hopkins sentenced Charles Steed, 32, of Boston, to seven to 10 years in state prison following his conviction by a jury on human trafficking charges in January. Steed was arrested after Woburn police investigated an online advertisement for prostitution on January 12 of this year.

According to court documents, Woburn police responded to a Backpage.com ad and arranged for a "date'' to pay for sex at a local hotel. As police set up surveillance, Steed dropped off two women who entered the hotel. Steed parked the car, which was registered in his name, and the women went to a hotel room.

The women told police that over the course of several months Steed regularly supplied them with heroin and cocaine before and after they performed sexual services for a fee with customers. Steed kept all of the money earned.

The women told police there was another woman who worked for Steed. The women told police that Steed had gone by the hospital on his way to the hotel, picked up the third woman, who was in the hospital recovering from surgery, and brought her to the same hotel to sell herself for money.

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Patch file photo.

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