Stoughton man with convictions for sex trafficking arrested, charged again with sex trafficking

A Stoughton man who served time in prison for sex trafficking has once again been arrested for sex trafficking, federal prosecutors say.

Marvin Pompilus, 39, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, according to the office of Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy. 

According to prosecutors, Pompilus was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court in February 2018 of multiple counts of trafficking a person for sexual servitude and deriving support for prostitution. He was sentenced to six years in state prison and released in October 2021.

“Almost immediately” Pompilus allegedly returned to sex trafficking, “targeting and exploiting vulnerable victims to line his own pocket – regularly using violence and drugs to maintain control,” Levy said in a statement.

Pompilus allegedly posed as a sex buyer and responded to a victim’s online advertisement for commercial sex, but when he arrived at the individual’s location, he recruited her to engage in commercial sex on his behalf. Over the course of several months, he allegedly used physical violence, threats of violence, and drug-based coercion to force her to engage in commercial sex on a daily basis, taking all the money from the activities.

“It is alleged that Pompilus physically beat the victim regularly and never allowed her to seek medical treatment,” Levy’s office said. “At times, Pompilus manually strangled the victim and on one occasion, pointed a gun in the victim’s face. If the victim disobeyed any of the rules that Pompilus set for her, Pompilus would allegedly become physically violent or withhold drugs from the victim until she started to experience the physical symptoms of withdrawal.”

Prosecutors allege that Pompilus used force, physical violence, threats of violence, and drug-based coercion to victimize at least four other women, causing them to engage in commercial sex. 

The charge of sex trafficking by force can result in a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison. 

Pompilus was detained following an initial court appearance, pending a hearing on Nov. 28, prosecutors said.