Two Seattle men charged in separate indictments for sex trafficking conspiracy involving adults and teens

Seattle - A leader of a Seattle street gang and one of his co-conspirators are now both federally indicted for using force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion to commit sex trafficking, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Leanthony Palmer, 34, was indicted last October, and a superseding indictment was returned this week adding additional charges. Branden Barnett, 38, has been in state custody since November 24, 2025, and was indicted federally this week for six counts related to trafficking both adults and minor victims.

"These men exploited vulnerable women for their own financial gain," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "They used their power - physical, psychological, and economic -- to subject these victims to modern day slavery. We are determined to obtain justice and ensure the safety of these victims and all members of our community."

According to the superseding indictment returned by the grand jury, Leanthony Palmer used force, threats of force, fraud, and coercion to sex traffic at least three different adult victims and engaged in a conspiracy to transport them in Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevado, Massachusetts, Montana, Minnesota, Texas, and other foreign countries to engage in commercial sex acts. The nine-count indictment also charges Palmer with conspiracy to commit money laundering for his use of the proceeds of his sex trafficking scheme.

Branden Barnett is charged in a six-count indictment with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion; sex trafficking an adult female through force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion; conspiracy to transport an adult victim for purposes of prostitution; transporting an adult female for prostitution through coercion and enticement; and two counts of attempted sex trafficking of a minor.

Both indictments describe how the men kept their victims under their control by using violence or threats of violence, providing or denying drugs, and providing or withholding food and shelter. The indictment alleges women were "purchased" by one trafficker from another, and that the men used "off the books" rooms at a SeaTac motel to keep the women isolated or for them to perform sex dates. The men set the rules of what the women were to charge for sex acts, to whom they could speak and how to turn over the entirety of their earnings to the trafficker. The men transported the women to Aurora Avenue North in Seattle and other locations for the sex workers to contact potential sex buyers. The men obtained fraudulent identification documents for their victims so that they could more easily travel and avoid detection by law enforcement. The men used the false identities to obtain rental properties and rental cars that were further used in the sex trafficking scheme.

"This work done by SeaTac Police and our Street Crimes Unit is critically important to the safety of our community and to women who may fall victim to this kind of dangerous and depraved criminal activity," said King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall. "These indictments and the arrest of Branden Barnett, shows painstaking, diligent work by a team dedicated to ensuring people like this are taken off the street. It also sends the message that abuse and exploitation will not be tolerated."

"We appreciate the work of SeaTac Police for addressing human trafficking, which is a disturbing and far too prevalent crime," King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said. "In addition to the work by federal prosecutors, there are also two co-defendants of Mr. Barnett charged by my office in Superior Court. While the details of these ongoing cases are difficult to hear, it is important to bring that information before a judge to seek clear accountability."

"HSI plays an integral role in combating human trafficking by working with its law enforcement partners to deter, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks that engage in it," said acting HSI Seattle Special Agent in Charge April Miller. "In this case it was a Seattle street gang trafficking both adult and minor-aged victims to multiple states and even foreign countries. We will do everything we can to bring justice to human traffickers and bring a safe resolution to the victims."

If convicted the men face mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years to life in prison.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. HSTF Seattle comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.

The case is being investigated by the King County Sheriff's Office, Seattle Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Whatcom Regional Drug Task Force.

The King Couty Prosecuting Attorney's Office is working closely with federal prosecutors on the case. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Braelah McGinnis is working with Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Dillon and Kate Crisham on the case.