Brothers David and Bryce Amin of Coram indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy sex trafficking
United States Attorney for the Eastern District Breon Peace announces arrests in a major gun trafficking case in Brooklyn in January. Credit: Brittainy Newman for HuffPost/Brittainy Newman
Two Coram brothers with alleged ties to the Bloods street gang have been charged in a federal sex and drug trafficking investigation, according to an indictment unsealed in Central Islip Tuesday.
David Amin, 28, who also has addresses in Freeport and Wyandanch, was arraigned Tuesday on a grand jury indictment that includes top charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and sex trafficking conspiracy. His brother, Bryce Amin, 23, is already behind bars in a separate drug case and will be arraigned on the same charges at a later date, according to a news release.
Federal prosecutors allege the two men ran a sex-trafficking operation by coercing drug-addicted women into prostitution to satisfy their perceived drug debts.
“These two brothers used physical and sexual violence as well as the power of drugs to manipulate and coerce vulnerable female victims for their own financial gain,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
Prosecutors said David Amin forced the women to have sex with him, sometimes choking and striking his victims, according to a news release. One victim was forced to drink his blood after he told her he was HIV positive, prosecutors said. His brother also used violence and “drug-related manipulation” to carry out his crimes, prosecutors said.
In a recorded phone call from jail, Bryce Amin allegedly boasted about how he controlled women, saying, “You can groom a person to do something they’re not used to doing” and referring to one woman as his “little puppet,” according to a news release.
Most of the sex-related crimes occurred in Suffolk County in cars, apartments and hotels, including locations in Bohemia, Islandia, Patchogue and Bayport, as well as at the Sayville Motor Lodge, which has since been closed, prosecutors said. One victim was forced to work in various hotels around the Norfolk, Virginia area, they added.
“The sexually depraved actions taken by the Amin brothers are nothing short of reprehensible,” Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said in a statement.
The 15-count indictment stems from an investigation that involved the Department of Homeland Security along with police in both Suffolk and Nassau counties.
David Amin was also accused of selling heroin, fentanyl and cocaine to an undercover Suffolk County detective. Bryce Amin was arrested in December 2021 for allegedly supplying a victim with drugs he called “party favors” and directing her to a date with what turned out to be an undercover detective from the Nassau County Police Department.
Prosecutors requested that both men, who they described as members of the Bloods street gang, be held without bail as they await trial.
The case is being prosecuted by Megan Farrell of the U.S., Attorney’s Long Island Criminal Division.
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
