A federal jury in Hartford has convicted David Marshall, also known as "Saint," of Bristol, on charges including sex trafficking, obstruction of justice, and violation of a protective order. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that between January and April 2022, Marshall forced a victim into commercial sex work for his financial gain. He allegedly raped and beat her if she disobeyed his orders. Additionally, he controlled her through addiction to fentanyl and threats against her family. In March 2022, after an arrest by Cromwell Police for threatening the victim's life, she managed to obtain a protective order against him.
Marshall was apprehended again on April 27, 2022, in Freeport, Maine after severely beating the victim. While incarcerated, he violated the protection order by contacting the victim to persuade her not to cooperate with authorities and continue prostituting herself to fund his bail. He also attempted to erase evidence from his cell phone remotely but failed due to FBI intervention.
In May 2023, while detained federally, Marshall wrote a letter instructing a family member to "harass" the victim to prevent her testimony.
The trial revealed that Marshall had trafficked at least one other woman between 2017 and 2022 using similar coercive tactics for financial benefit over nearly two years.
The trial commenced on April 30, 2025. The jury found Marshall guilty of two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; two counts of attempted obstruction of sex trafficking enforcement; and one count of interstate violation of a protection order causing serious bodily injury. However, he was acquitted on one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.
Sentencing has yet to be scheduled. Marshall faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years up to life imprisonment.
Since April 27, 2022, Marshall has remained in detention. The investigation involved collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and several police departments including Newington Police Department and Cromwell Police Department among others. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angel Krull, Shan Patel, and Alexis Beyerlein are prosecuting the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.
