Seattle, Washington (KPTV) — A man has been indicted this week on several charges after a woman made a harrowing escape from him in Seattle.
Self-identified “pimp” Winston Cornell Burt, also known as ‘Dice Capone,’ has been federally charged with sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion, transportation of an adult female for prostitution through coercion and enticement, and two counts of unlawful possession of firearms.
Burt, 31, is accused of taking the 20-year-old victim from her home in California to traffick her for sex in Seattle, according to court documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle.
Prior to his arrest on Nov. 6, 2022, court documents stated that Burt would kick, punch, and pistol-whip the victim if she expressed a desire to stop working for him.
One night, the woman tried to flee out the front door of an Airbnb where she, Burt, and other women were living, but Burt scooped her up and pushed her to the ground, according to the court documents.
Fearing for her life, she rushed upstairs with Burt after her and then leaped from the third-story window, according to the records.
She then ran naked into bustling Aurora Avenue, according to court filings.
When an Uber driver saw the woman in trouble, he picked her up. According to the US Attorney’s Office, Burt then chased them in his car and fired rounds at the van. The ridesharing driver was likewise armed and responded by firing back.
“(The woman) felt safer in the middle of a busy highway, practically naked, at night than being within arm’s reach of the defendant,” Gauen wrote. “Surveillance video from a nearby business has corroborated the woman’s account of what happened.”
They managed to get away from Burt and the woman was taken to the hospital by Washington State Patrol. According to court filings, she suffered black eyes, broken ribs, a broken leg, and spinal damage.
Burt was arrested on Nov. 6 while attempting to leave an Airbnb in south Seattle.
“The level of violence in this case is stunning – brutal beatings of young women, threats with firearms, emotional and physical control of every aspect of the victims’ lives,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “I commend the Seattle Police Department and King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for working quickly to get Mr. Burt in custody, thus ensuring the immediate safety of the victim and the community.”
The indictment demands the confiscation of two firearms, more than $24,000 in cash, and $100,000 in jewels.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion is penalized by a mandatory minimum of 15 years in jail and up to life in prison. According to the office, “transportation of an adult female for prostitution through coercion and enticement” is penalized by up to 15 years in jail, and illegal possession of a firearm is punishable by 10 years in prison.
Source: Orange County Register
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