Ottawa man accused of trafficking women in city hotel rooms
A 39-year-old Ottawa man has been accused of using his federal government identification to get discounts on hotel rooms where he pimped out at least two women, according to police.
A woman in her 20s came forward on Nov. 1 to report she had been sexually assaulted by a man "while working in his sexual services enterprise which operated out of various hotels in Ottawa," police said in a news release.
Police said a second woman in her 20s was found to be part of his operation.
Sgt. Jeff Leblanc said the man booked more than 120 rooms at various hotels — four in Ottawa and one in Gatineau — over the course of a year beginning in November 2015. Police have yet to find a "legitimate reason" for the hotel bookings, he said, adding that he believes more women were involved in his hotel-based operation.
The man was arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault and two counts of obtaining material benefit from sexual services. He was expected to appear in court on Friday.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Ottawa police human trafficking unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5005, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
