(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Freddie Rice, 34, of Bay Shore, was found guilty after a jury trial of Sex Trafficking for using narcotics and financial coercion to induce victims to engage in sexual acts with third parties in exchange for money.
“Today, justice was served,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Freddie Rice’s crimes were calculated, predatory, and devasting to his victims. My office encourages anyone who is a victim of sex trafficking to call 911 or the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Tipline at (631) 852-2950.”
The evidence at trial established that, between August 2019 and December 2023, Rice preyed upon the drug addictions of multiple women to control and coerce them to engage in sexual acts with various men for his own profit. Each of the victims was addicted to heroin and/or crack cocaine, which he withheld to ensure that they complied with his directives, namely, by responding to buyers of sex and charging specific fees for specific sexual acts. The victims were required to hand over all the money that they earned to Rice. If they were caught keeping any of the money for themselves, Rice “punished” them by withholding the drugs that they were addicted to, causing the victims to experience intense and dangerous physical withdrawal symptoms.
Additionally, Rice told the victims that they must engage in the sex acts with buyers to earn money to work off their alleged “debt” to him. They were never able to pay off any of the supposed debt, no matter how much money they brought in for him.
On October 24, 2025, Rice was convicted after a jury trial heard before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins of two counts of Sex Trafficking, Class B felonies, and one count of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a Class D felony.
Rice is also awaiting sentence on an unrelated conviction for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell in the Third Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance/Narcotic Drug, both Class B felonies. He has four additional prior felony convictions:
• Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 2013;
• Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 2012;
• Burglary in the Third Degree in 2010; and
• Burglary in the Third Degree and Attempted Assault in the Second Degree in 2009.
Rice is due back in court on November 25, 2025 for sentencing and faces up to 50 years to life in prison. He is also certified as a sex offender as a result of this conviction. He is represented by Anthony Rutkowski, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Veronica McMahon and Jonathan Cappiello of the Hate Crimes, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias, and Human Trafficking Unit (H.E.A.T.) with assistance from Discovery Expediter Taylor Steele and Crime Victim Advocate Gisel Navalo. The investigation was conducted by Detective Joseph Collins of the Suffolk County Police Department Human Trafficking Investigations Unit and Special Agent Michael Marotta of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the SCPD Human Trafficking Investigations Unit and Detective Matthew Kromer of the Digital Forensics Unit.
