BOSTON, Feb. 25, 2016—A Dorchester man was sentenced to state prison last week after he admitted to selling two women for sexual services, including one who died as the case was heading to trial, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke sentenced RASHAUN HENDREN (D.O.B. 3/31/92) to four to five years in state prison – the term recommended by prosecutors – after his guilty plea to deriving support from prostitution on Feb. 17, one day before his trial was set to begin. The charge carries a maximum term of five years.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Beth Keeley of the DA’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Unit would have introduced evidence and testimony to prove that Hendren recruited the first victim in spring 2014 while she was battling a drug addiction. Keeley would have sought to prove that Hendren lured her into prostitution with offers of money and drugs, and that he utilized her to recruit a second victim.

The evidence would have shown that Hendren rented a room at a downtown hotel, where the woman would have sex with men who responded to advertisements Hendren had placed online. Hendren photographed her using his phone, set the prices for the “dates,” and kept the johns’ money for himself. The evidence would have shown that he used threats, beatings, and drugs to keep her compliant with his demands. The evidence would have shown that Hendren used this victim to recruit the second victim, also a drug-addicted woman, for the same purposes.

“This is the ugly reality that lies behind ads on the web sites that serve as platforms for prostitution,” Conley said. “It’s a reality of violence and addiction, and it’s not a victimless crime.”

On April 25, after the women fled from Hendren, one of the victims disclosed the abuse to Boston Police officers at the Area A-1 station. Those officers notified the BPD Human Trafficking Unit, which responded, conducted an in-depth interview, and gathered additional evidence leading to a warrant for Hendren’s arrest. Hendren was taken into custody a few days later.

Based on that evidence and additional facts established by Suffolk prosecutors in the grand jury, Hendren was initially indicted for human trafficking. Prosecutors accepted his pleas to deriving support from prostitution in light of changes to the evidentiary landscape after the second victim died of a drug overdose and a Suffolk Superior Court judge suppressed evidence from Hendren’s cell phone.

Kerry Kolditz was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Hendren was represented by attorney Steven Sack.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.