Dorchester man sentenced to 30 years for sex trafficking

A man who authorities said ran a violent large-scale sex trafficking ring based in Boston was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday.

Dorchester resident Raymond Jeffreys, 28, pleaded guilty in January to charges of sex trafficking, making a false statement and witness tampering, MassLive reported.

Authorities said that Jeffreys forced at least 20 women, some of whom were teenagers, into prostitution in several states between 2006 and May 2014, WCVB stated.

Operating in Massachusetts, New York, California, Florida and other states, Jeffreys targeted girls who were poor, drug addicts or homeless, MassLive added. Jeffreys would coerce the women into prostitution by promising to take care of them and their children, some of whom he fathered.

“Raymond Jeffreys devastated the lives of his victims,” U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz told MassLive. “He feigned affection, instilled fear and used violence to control these young women.”

Jeffreys also pleaded guilty to ordering a hit on an associate he believed was cooperating with law enforcement, according to WCVB, which added that the intended victim survived.