Boston Man Faces Sex Trafficking Charges In Woburn

WOBURN, MA -- A 32-year-old Boston man is being held without bail after being charged by Woburn police for running a prostitution ring by enticing women to work for him by providing them with drugs then taking all the money they earned selling sex.

In Middlesex Superior Court last month, Charles Tirek Steed, 32, of Boston, was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to charges of trafficking a person for sexual servitude and devriving support from prostitution.

In asking that Steed be held without bail, prosecutors noted his nine-page record, including convictions for drug distribution and firearms offenses.

At his last court appearance on Monday, Steed was given an Aug. 12 trial date.

According to court documents, Woburn police responded on Jan. 12 to a Backpage.com ad and arranged for a "date'' to pay for sex at a local hotel. As police set up surveillance, two female prostitutes pulled in up a car driving by Steed. He parked the car, which was registered in his name, and the women went to a hotel room.

Inside, the two woman negotiated a price with an undercover police officer of $500 for a "two-girl'' sexual service. As the women were getting undressed, the officer gave a pre-arranged sign and other officers entered the room.

When questioned by police, the women identified Steed , who goes by aliases of "Rick'' or "Cash,'' as the driver of the car. Both women allegedly told police that Steed provides them with drugs -- heroin and cocaine-- in exchange for Steed keeping all the money from their prostitution.

The women allegedly told police there is another woman who worked for Steed. The women told police that Steed had gone by the hospital on his way to this hotel, picked up the third woman, who was in the hospital recovering from surgery, and brought her to the same hotel to sell herself for money.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.