CRIME

Guilty plea in human trafficking case with Gainesville tie

Sarah Nelson
snelson@gvillesun.com
David Clayton Williams. [Santa Rosa County jail]

A Pensacola man pleaded guilty Thursday to money laundering and trafficking women at his massage parlors located in several places throughout the country, including one in downtown Gainesville.

David Clayton Williams, 41, faces up to 35 years in prison for running Asian massage parlors with Chinese women illegally brought to the United States, where they would offer sex acts in exchange for money. He used the now-defunct website Backpage.com to advertise.

Williams was arrested in August following an undercover investigation that included Tokyo Massage, at 211 SW Fourth Ave. in Gainesville. The FBI investigation began with anonymous tips through the National Human Trafficking Hotline about parlors in Pensacola and Panama City.

Tokyo Massage was one of 22 parlors that Williams was associated with, including others in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Court records say he ran the trafficking operation since at least January 2016.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida said federal agents seized over a half-dozen bank accounts linked to Williams, which they say showed he and conspirators laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in accounts opened to avoid Williams being linked to the trafficking.

As part of the guilty plea, he forfeited over $125,000 that was taken by investigators from his massage parlors and bank accounts.

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 7 at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

He faces up to 10 years in prison for transporting women for prostitution, another five years for racketeering and up to 20 more years for money laundering.