Former death row inmate on trial for sex trafficking charges in Hawaii
During testimony, a purported trafficking victim acknowledged her provocative social media posts but argued that Isaiah McCoy manipulated her into sex work.
by Jeremy Yurow, Court House News, April 14, 2025
HONOLULU (CN) — On the sixth day of his federal sex trafficking trial, former death row inmate Isaiah McCoy sparred with a judge over evidence as he cross-examined a key witness.
McCoy — who was released from Delaware’s death row after his murder conviction was overturned in 2017 — is representing himself in court. He's accused of running a sex trafficking ring involving four women and one minor between 2019 and 2023 in Hawaii and across state lines.
Monday’s proceedings in U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson’s courtroom focused on testimony from one of McCoy’s purported victims, referred to in this story going forward as "the witness." Due to a prior court order, the names of the purported victims cannot be released.
McCoy introduced multiple exhibits showing the witness' social media posts, including videos where she displayed large sums of money and used phrases like, "A ho back in her domain," and "Happy ho-ing in the morning."
The witness acknowledged the posts were authentic but explained her perspective had changed since that period. "At that time, I was taught to think like that," she said. "Well, it's been a couple years, and I've grown, and I've realized a lot of things. A lot of things opened up my eyes."
The witness and McCoy acknowledged being in an intimate relationship until 2022. They also argued over who controlled the money that the witness earned via sex work, though they appeared to agree that the witness needed McCoy's permission to spend it.
Watson frequently sustained the prosecution's objections to McCoy's exhibits, denying admission of several videos the defendant claimed would show the witness' "energy at the time and how she actually felt."
During redirect, prosecutor Elizabeth Hutson countered McCoy's narrative by having the witness clarify key points about her relationship with the defendant.
"He asked you a lot of questions about whether you benefited from working for him, and you said 'personally, no.' Can you explain what you meant by that?" Hutson said.
"Yes, I had designer items while dealing with Mr. McCoy, but personally, I did not gain anything that's bigger emotionally from that," the witness said.
When asked about McCoy's control methods, the witness said he maintained influence even while incarcerated through constant phone calls. "Basically the whole day," she said when asked how frequently he would contact her, adding that if she didn't answer "he would just keep calling and calling and calling."
A significant moment came when the witness explained what she meant by being "finessed" into sex work.
In once instance, she said, "I was under the impression that we were just going to hang out. And then when I got there, there were two females and one other male in presence."
She further clarified that McCoy didn't necessarily need physical force to control her. "You don't have to visibly do anything. Your mouth will do the job," the witness said.
This isn't McCoy's first time in the spotlight of Hawaii's justice system. In 2018, a federal judge dismissed previous sex trafficking charges against him with prejudice after evidence that may have been illegally obtained was withheld. Following that dismissal, McCoy was convicted in 2021 of a state robbery charge for beating a man and stealing his watch in Waikiki.
Federal prosecutors now claim McCoy continued operating his trafficking ring from behind bars following that robbery conviction. His half-brother, Anwar Al-Rasul, is also charged in the current case for reportedly using the internet to facilitate trafficking crimes.
The current 20-count indictment against McCoy includes five counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, one count of sex trafficking a minor, and multiple counts of obstructing and interfering with the federal investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations.
If convicted, McCoy faces potential life imprisonment. The jury trial continues tomorrow.
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Background:
- 2010: McCoy charged with Murder of Drug Dealer
- 2015: Delaware Prosecutor said bad, bad things about accused murderer
- May, 2018: McCoy sounded well-spoken and sincere at the April 2017 Hawaii speaking engagement, said Kenneth Lawson
- May, 2018: “All of these females were prostitutes before I met them,” McCoy said.
- June, 2018: Feds: Alleged Pimp Bribes, Threatens Witnesses from FDC
- Aug, 2018: Hawaii Man Pleads Guilty To Witness Tampering
- Nov 13, 2018: Soft on Crime: Judge drops all charges against former death row inmate prosecutors said wanted to build prostitution empire
- Nov 14, 2018: How Moron Prosecutors Blew Pimp Case (Clue: Sexting the hos and lying about it is a bad, bad idea.)
- Nov 17, 2018: UH: Ken Lawson Admits his “Innocence Project” Brought Alleged Pimp to Hawaii
- Nov 22, 2018: UH: Convicted Felon Paid to Get Other Convicts Released
- 2019: Watson Released from Federal Detention Center Honolulu--May 24, 2019
- Aug, 2019: Ex Death-Row Inmate was Driver When Child Sex Trafficker Arrested for Manoa Robbery
- 2020: Death Row 'Not-a-Pimp' McCoy Kicked out by Angry Mother