Milwaukee man with alias of ‘Bin Laden’ found guilty of sex trafficking

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Following a two-week jury trial in Milwaukee, Samuel L. Spencer, a Milwaukee man who federal agents say used the alias “Bin Laden,” was found guilty of four counts of Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion, and one count of Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking.

According to authorities, from 2005 to 2020, Spencer was a street-level drug dealer who used crack cocaine and heroin, along with false promises of a romantic relationship, to lure female victims to earn money for him by performing commercial sex acts from the North Shore of Milwaukee to other locations in southeastern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and various other midwestern states.

“January is Human Trafficking Awareness month, and this case serves as another example of the fact that sex trafficking and labor trafficking can happen anywhere,” said Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

According to court documents obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal, a 911 call placed to Glendale police was admitted into evidence during the trial, along with a number of social media posts and Facebook messages.

Spencer was arrested in 2022, according to the arrest warrant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with the assistance of the Milwaukee Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, the Oak Creek Police Department, and the Franklin Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Erica J. Lounsberry and Julie F. Stewart prosecuted the case.

Victims testified Spencer took everything they earned, controlling them with severe physical violence, the threat of withholding drugs, isolation and other forms of coercion to ensure they complied with his demands.

“The jury’s verdict in this case was the result of tireless work by federal, state and local law enforcement as well as Mr. Spencer’s victims having the courage to give voice to the trauma they suffered,” said Haanstad.

Spencer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Sentencing has been set for May 16, 2024, before Chief Judge Pamela Pepper.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul  recently announced the formal partnership between the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (WAHTTF) and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) Task Force.

If you suspect that someone is being trafficked, please report it to law enforcement or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The hotline is staffed around the clock.