For the Reporter
A 33-year-old Auburn man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 92 months in prison for two counts of human trafficking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.
John Henry Cyprian Jr., aka “Lucky,” was arrested in June 2014 following a Bellevue Police Department investigation into Cyprian’s sex trafficking of two women in Western Washington and Portland, Ore. Cyprian pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking on Dec. 15, 2014. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik imposed three years of supervised release and required Cyprian to register as a sex offender.
“This defendant used fear, false promises, and addictive drugs to exploit young, troubled women,” said Acting United States Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “He viewed his victims as nothing more than objects that existed to satisfy his sexual and material needs. This kind of conduct in our communities will not be tolerated and will continue to be the target of our coordinated law enforcement response.”
According to records in the case, between April 2013 and his arrest in June 2014, Cyprian rented hotel rooms throughout the greater Seattle area as part of his prostitution scheme. Cyprian forced the two women to work as prostitutes at hotels in SeaTac, Bellevue, Everett, Mountlake Terrace, and Portland. Cyprian posted ads on Backpage.com and other adult sexual services websites.
Cyprian controlled the women with beatings and threats, and forced them to give him all the money they earned. At sentencing Cyprian was ordered to pay the women a total of $161,700 representing the ill-gotten gains he acquired by exploiting them.
“I’m very proud of the hard work of the detectives assigned to the Bellevue Police Department’s vice unit. Their dedication to duty and commitment to this victim ensured that this violent predator will remain behind bars for many years,” said Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett. “This case highlights the fact that human trafficking is a reprehensible crime and that law enforcement will combine all of its resources to identify and protect victims of human trafficking as we bring those who prey on the vulnerable to justice. I want to thank the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the Mountlake Terrace Police Department for their partnership and support.”
The case was investigated by the Bellevue Police Department with assistance from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the Mountlake Terrace Police Department and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham and Trial Attorney Victor Boutros with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
