Jury finds Anchorage man guilty on sex-trafficking charges

An Anchorage jury has convicted Troy Williams, 49, on five sex trafficking charges for recruiting women, bringing them to Anchorage, finding customers and operating and profiting from a sex trafficking enterprise between 2004 and 2011, according to assistant attorney general Adam Alexander.

Williams was acquitted by a state Superior Court jury of two charges related to using force to make two specific women participate in the operation and of a charge related to renting hotel rooms to house sex trafficking operations, Alexander said.

At trial, prosecutors described Williams as a violent, controlling man who targeted young, mostly Alaska Native women and forced them into sex work, keeping the profits. Women who had been involved in the operation described him beating them, denying them food and sleep, and forcing them into cold baths.

[Accused sex trafficker targeted and terrorized Alaska Native teens, prosecutor says]

The defense cast doubt on the statements of the women because they were given criminal immunity in exchange for testimony. The defense also pointed out inconsistencies in testimony about the violence and a lack of evidence to support the renting of hotel rooms.

Heidi Ross, a woman who oversaw the sex trafficking operation for Williams, pleaded guilty to charges related to her involvement in 2014 and has served her time.

Williams has a criminal history that a judge will consider at the time of sentencing.

The maximum sentence for operating a sex trafficking enterprise is 10 years, Alexander said. Each of the additional four charges carries a maximum sentence of five years, he said.