A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Andrew Blane
Fields, 62, of Lutz, Fla., with conspiracy to possess with the intent to
distribute controlled substances, namely Oxycodone, Dilaudid and
Morphine; three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion;
and two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled
substances.
If convicted on all counts, Fields faces a maximum of life in federal prison.
According to allegations in the indictment and criminal complaint, at
least as early as 2008 through the end of 2012, Fields engaged in the
sex trafficking of three different victims for commercial gain, who are
identified in the indictment by their initials.
Fields coerced and controlled the victims by, among other
methods, supplying them on a daily basis with a large number of highly
addictive prescription drugs. During the execution of a federal search
warrant, law enforcement recovered thousands of prescription pills from
Fields’ residence. Fields was previously charged by criminal complaint
on March 20, 2013.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a
violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security –
Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Clearwater,
Fla., Police Department and members of the Clearwater Area Human
Trafficking Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney
Josephine W. Thomas and Trial Attorney William E. Nolan with the
Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking
Prosecution Unit.
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