Former death row inmate convicted of sex trafficking in Hawaii
Former death row inmate Isaiah McCoy faces up to life in prison after a jury convicted him on multiple sex trafficking charges.
by Jeremy Yurow, Court House News, April 23, 2025
HONOLULU (CN) — A federal jury in Hawaii convicted former death row inmate Isaiah McCoy on multiple counts of sex trafficking following a 12-day trial. The verdict wraps up a case involving three adults and one minor victim who were exploited between 2019 and 2021.
McCoy, 38, was found guilty Tuesday evening of four counts of sex trafficking, two counts of obstructing a sex trafficking investigation, seven counts of interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises and one count of interstate travel for prostitution purposes.
"This successful conviction represents this Justice Department's commitment to putting those who prey on the innocent behind bars," U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said via a press release.
The case marks another chapter in McCoy's troubled legal history. He previously spent time on Delaware's death row before his murder conviction was overturned in 2017. In 2018, a federal judge dismissed earlier sex trafficking charges against him with prejudice after evidence that may have been illegally obtained was withheld. In 2021, McCoy was convicted of a state robbery charge for beating a man and stealing his watch in Waikiki.
Prosecutors presented evidence showing McCoy compelled victims to engage in hundreds of commercial sex acts by luring them with false promises of romantic relationships, luxury lifestyles and financial security. According to testimony, he specifically targeted women and girls facing low self-esteem, difficult upbringings or financial hardship.
Lucy Cabral-DeArmas, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Hawaii, condemned McCoy’s actions following his conviction, describing him as someone who preyed on vulnerable women and girls for personal gain.
"McCoy is a predator who left countless victims in his path while he sought to enrich himself at their expense," Cabral-DeArmas said in a written statement. "HSI will aggressively pursue those, like McCoy, who seek to exploit vulnerable women and girls and mute their voices while believing they will not be held accountable."
Evidence presented at trial revealed McCoy's manipulation tactics quickly turned violent once victims became under his control. He enforced strict rules requiring victims to call him "Daddy" or "Zeus," share their cell phone locations, and provide continuous updates on money earned through commercial sex work.
Prosecutors also presented evidence of disturbing patterns of violence, including incidents in which McCoy burned one victim with cigar butts when she failed to provide sufficient money. Other victims were thrown to the ground and stomped on, with one being rendered unconscious after having her head smashed against a car door before McCoy carried her through a hotel lobby.
During the trial, which began earlier this month, McCoy represented himself and cross-examined one of his victims. The woman acknowledged being in an intimate relationship with McCoy until 2022 and confirmed they both agreed she needed his permission to spend money earned through sex work.
When prosecutor Elizabeth Hutson asked the witness to clarify what benefits she received while working for McCoy, the woman testified: "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 also described how McCoy maintained control even while incarcerated through constant phone calls. When asked how frequently he would contact her, she replied, "Basically the whole day," adding that if she didn't answer "he would just keep calling and calling and calling."
She further explained McCoy's coercive techniques didn't always require physical force: "You don't have to visibly do anything. Your mouth will do the job."
According to the Justice Department, McCoy demanded victims turn over all proceeds from commercial sex acts, which he then spent on high-end designer shoes, belts, clothing and accessories.
"The defendant specifically targeted each victim's unique vulnerabilities and used false promises, brute physical force, and psychological manipulation to compel the victims to engage in commercial sex for his own profit," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a written statement.
"There is no place in a civilized society for the defendant's atrocious conduct," he added.
McCoy faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, as well as mandatory restitution. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 18.
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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
- 2025: Former death row inmate on trial for sex trafficking charges in Hawaii
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