(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Michael Howell, 65, from Brooklyn, and originally from Barbados, was sentenced to 13 to 29 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of Sex Trafficking and other related charges, for using drugs and physical violence to compel the victim to engage in sex acts for money.
“The defendant used drugs and violence to exploit and dehumanize a vulnerable victim for his own profit,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Today’s sentence reflects our commitment to pursuing justice for survivors and holding traffickers fully accountable.”
The evidence at trial established that from about April 2023 through February 2024, Howell forced the victim to engage in sexual acts with others for money in Suffolk County and other counties. Howell rented hotel rooms and posted advertisements depicting the victim on websites typically used to advertise sex for money.
To gain control over the victim, Howell gave her crack-cocaine and heroin and would take any money from the sexual acts that she was forced to perform.
When the victim refused to engage in sexual acts, Howell resorted to physical violence and threats to gain the victim’s compliance, including slamming her head into a wall.
During the time Howell maintained control over the victim, he also told her that she owed him money for the drugs that he provided to her and for the hotel room that she stayed in. At the time of his arrest on February 1, 2024, Howell was found to be in possession of fentanyl and a large quantity of cocaine.
On August 26, 2025, Howell was convicted of the following charges after a jury trial heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis:
- Two counts of Sex Trafficking, Class B felonies;
- One count of Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree, a Class C felony;
- One count of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a Class C felony; and
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.
On September 26, 2025, Howell was sentenced to a combined sentence of 13 to 29 years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender. The United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has also lodged a detainer to deport Howell after he serves his sentence. He was represented by Christopher Gioe, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Vanessa Overland and Melissa Turk of the Hate Crimes, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias, and Human Trafficking (H.E.A.T.) Unit, and the investigation was conducted by lead Detective Matthew Skulavik, with assistance from Detective Joseph Collins, Detective Kathleen Aspromgos, and other members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit.
