Somorie Moses, also known as “Sugar Bear,” was exonerated of Leondra Foster’s murder in Brooklyn criminal court in November 2019, but will now face a fresh murder charge by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District.
He’s also fronting federal charges associated with the sex trafficking of eight women, including minors, since 2003, according to authorities.
During his 2019 trial, Moses was found not guilty of killing Foster to the shock of onlookers, though he was sentenced to negligent homicide and hiding a corpse.
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Moses’ attorney Julie Clark contended during that trial he couldn’t have killed her because he’s a businessman who didn’t want to hurt his bottom line, though the defense revealed he cut up her dead body.
In announcing their charges Tuesday, federal authorities alleged Moses slew Foster by beating her to death and then using a knife and saw to dismember her. Moses then brought her torso and limbs to a Bronx sanitation site, but her head, hands, and feet, including afoot with the name “Somorie” tattooed on it, were discovered by law enforcement inside a deep freezer in Moses’s apartment.
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“Words do not adequately convey the depravity of the long list of actions Moses allegedly took to torment and terrorize women so he could traffic them for money,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael Driscoll stated in a statement.
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“He’s accused of storing a woman’s head in his freezer after he killed her. Imagine how hard it is for his victims to come forward – but they have and should be commended for their bravery. They will help us bring Moses to justice for his alleged crimes, and will keep him from harming another human being.”
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Moses, 45, would swear his victims the prospect of marriage to instigate sexual relationships with them before demanding they work as prostitutes, according to the US Attorney’s Office. He mercilessly beat, raped, tortured, and terrorized his victims to work as prostitutes for him in Brooklyn and Queens, the feds conveyed.
“Sex trafficking is a modern form of slavery that uses violence and fear to force vulnerable individuals to work for someone else’s profit, in this case resulting in the alleged brutal murder of one of the victims,” US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
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“This Office will continue to prioritize investigation and prosecution of these heinous crimes. I thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward to report the defendant’s crimes and hope that this prosecution will help bring them and Ms. Foster’s family closure.”
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His office expressed this case is the first prosecution under a federal statute that criminalized slaying in the course of sex trafficking.
When one victim denied prostituting herself, Moses used a taser on her until she conceded, authorities declared. Another time, he slashed a victim’s back and arms with a razor and beat her with a belt before he poured lemon juice on her wounds, the US Attorney’s office alleged.
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And when another victim refused to work, he’s blamed for putting a shotgun in her mouth and threatening to kill her and her kid.
The FBI worked with the NYPD on the case, with Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell calling Moses’ depravity “truly beyond the pale.”
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“The NYPD is committed to protecting the survivors of sex trafficking and holding fully accountable anyone who would seek to profit through the abuse and exploitation of another human being,” Sewell said in a statement. “The level of depravity allegedly shown in this case is truly beyond the pale.”
If found guilty, the US Attorney’s Office said Moses could face life in prison and could be eligible for the death penalty.
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