For example, the defendant strangled and choked certain of his victims, he hit and threatened to hit certain of his victims, and he kidnapped certain of his victims. The defendant recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, and maintained women for the purposes of commercial sex, and he used violent force, threats of force, coercion, intimidation, and fear to force at least one woman to engage in commercial sex for his own profit. We hope today’s verdict brings at least some small measure of comfort to the victims of Purcell’s unconscionable crimes.”Īccording to the allegations contained in the Indictment and evidence presented during the trial in Manhattan federal court:įrom at least in or about 2012 to in or about 2017, LAVELLOUS PURCELL, a/k/a “King Casino,” a/k/a “Mike Hill,” the defendant engaged in the sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of numerous women across the country, including in New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Now, Purcell has himself been branded as a felon by a unanimous jury, and faces life in federal prison. Purcell even boasted about his reprehensible abuse of women on social media. Besides physical violence and intimidation, Purcell forced the women to dress and act in certain ways, and forced them to brand themselves with a tattoo of his alias, ‘Casino,’ on their necks. Berman said: “Lavellous Purcell, a/k/a ‘King Casino,’ was a pimp with a notoriously brutal set of rules he used to keep his victims under his control.

PURCELL was convicted following a one-week jury trial before U.S.

Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a federal jury today found LAVELLOUS PURCELL, a/k/a “King Casino,” a/k/a “Mike Hill,” guilty of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and related offenses.

King's court casino