A Boston man, Jonathan Vaughan, also known as "Ason," was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sex trafficking and cocaine charges. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns handed down the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release following imprisonment. Vaughan pleaded guilty in September 2024 to multiple counts, including sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.
Vaughan's criminal activities involved exploiting women for commercial sex dating back to at least 2019. He operated primarily in the Boston area and Cape Cod but transported some victims to other states like New York for prostitution purposes. Vaughan referred to himself as "Ason the Pimp" and glorified his actions through music.
U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy commented on the case stating, “Jonathan Vaughan will now pay a very heavy price for exploiting his victims’ vulnerabilities and using forcing them to sell their bodies for his financial gain.” He emphasized that substantial resources are being allocated to combat the dehumanizing sex trafficking industry.
Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, noted that Vaughan used physical violence and coercion against his victims. “Today’s sentence holds Vaughn accountable for these heinous crimes against these victims,” he said.
From June 2019 through October 2021, Vaughan recruited three female victims for commercial sex acts and transported two across state lines for prostitution. At the time of his arrest on state charges in October 2021, he possessed cocaine intended for distribution.
Vaughan maintained a tent at Mass and Cass from late spring or early summer of 2021 until his arrest, using it as a base for drug distribution and recruiting women into sex trafficking. Victims were allowed to stay there provided they gave him proceeds from their activities.
He recruited women from various locations around Boston and online platforms like Facebook before bringing them to hotels across Massachusetts and New York City boroughs such as Queens and Manhattan.
Authorities urge members of the public who believe they may be affected by this crime to contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Levy along with HSI SAC Krol today with assistance from several law enforcement agencies including the FBI Boston Division and local police departments.