Pensacola man faces federal charges in connection to human trafficking at massage parlors - Pensacola News Journal

[massage]

From staff reports

Published 4:50 PM EDT Aug 16, 2019


A Pensacola business owner is facing federal charges related to allegations of human trafficking in Florida, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

A three-count criminal complaint alleges David C. Williams, 41, was arrested in connection with his operation of multiple Asian massage parlors in Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe.

A federal arrest warrant was executed on Williams for using interstate facilities for purposes of racketeering, money laundering conspiracy and the harboring of illegal aliens for commercial advantage or private financial gain, according to Keefe.

Along with the arrest of Williams on the federal charges, more than a dozen search warrants were executed at massage parlors linked to Williams in the three states, Keefe said.

That included multiple federal search warrants in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Gainesville. More than half a dozen seizure warrants were also executed on bank accounts linked to the allegations against Williams.

The FBI on Thursday morning searched two massage parlors at the Asia Pro Walk-in Massage Parlor at 127 N. New Warrington Road in Pensacola and the All Day Walk-In Massage parlor at 3268 Fordham Parkway in Gulf Breeze.

Local parlors searched: FBI agents search Pensacola and Gulf Breeze massage parlors

Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case following a joint investigation by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Gainesville Police Department, the Clearwater Police Department, the Florida State Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Pennsylvania.

A detention hearing for Williams has been set for 2 p.m. Aug. 20 at the U.S. Courthouse in Pensacola.

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