Brandon Gutman Arrested After BRPD, PBSO, FBI Joint Investigation
BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2023) — Brandon Gutman of Boca Raton was arrested for sex trafficking and exploiting at least 3 young girls in Boca Raton.
Brandon Gutman, 42, of the 300 block of NE 30th St. in Boca Raton, has been arrested by the Boca Raton Police Department.
Brandon Gutman was arrested and charged with the following:
- KIDNAP – HUM TRAF COM SEX LT 18 YOA MENT DEF MENT INCAP
- KIDNAP – COERCE COMM SEX ACTIVITY ADULT FOR HUMAN TRAFF
- PROCURE FOR PROSTITUTE – LIVE OFF EARNINGS OF PROSTITUTE 1ST OFF
- SEX ASSLT – BY 24 YOA OLDER SEX BATT VICTIM 16 OR 17 YOA
According to Gutman’s social media accounts, he is a real estate agent with Century 21. A check of the DBPR verifies Gutman has an active real estate sales agent license. Gutman also listed Wise Choice Entertainment as the company he owns on his arrest affidavit.
According to the arrest affidavit, Boca Raton Police Department Vice Intelligence and Narcotics investigated Gutman with the help of PBSO and the FBI following several documented incidents with Gutman.
The investigation is said to include interviews with various “commercial sex workers” in the South Florida area as well as a review of financial records, surveillance, cell phone forensics, telephone records, and advertisements on commercial sex websites.
The investigation showed that Gutman used physical force and threats of violence against women and coerce them to engage in commercial sexual activity throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties and to exploit that arrangement for his own financial gain.
The arrest affidavit lists 3 different victims. Two of them were just 16 years old when they started working for Gutman. As typically found in sex traffickers, Gutman controlled every aspect of these women’s lives while exploiting them to sustain his criminal enterprise.
The business
The victims share similar stories about how they started working for Gutman. They met him while dancing at local strip clubs. Gutman would offer the girls a place to live, a car to drive, and offered to manage their finances. Of course, this was at the cost of him receiving monetary benefits for the girls acting as prostitutes. The girls would work at the strip clubs and engage in prostitution with the patrons while Gutman kept all of the earnings.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gutman was said to have then pivoted his business to market more online. Gutman advertised on sites like eros.com, a site known for commercial sex workers, to find men willing to pay for sex. The girls were expected to earn $600 – $1000 dollars a day, either by commercial sexual activity or working at the strip clubs. The girls would have to request permission to use any of the money she earned and only ever get a small portion of it.
One of the girls reported making nearly $50,000 in 3 months of which she only received about $3,500.
Gutman either owned or leased several homes in Boca Raton that were used for commercial sexual activity. One of these homes is located at 6532 Serena Lane, a 4-bedroom house in the Estancia community in Boca Raton.
The abuse
The girl recalls being sexually and physically abused by Gutman. She reported that the physical abuse would range from slapping to punching. The sexual abuse would include forcing the girl to engage in sexual activity with him and other women. The girl says she was abused like this for 3 years.
The girl attempted to leave once but Gutman was in possession of her personal documentation and would not release them to her. Gutman would constantly tell her that she would not be able to get employment anywhere else or do anything else. The girl became one of Gutman’s trusted associates, often required to recruit others to work for Gutman.
The girl finally left Gutman for good in November 2022.
The investigation
PBSO, the Boca Raton Police Department, and the FBI, all part of the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force (PBCHTTF), used various investigative methods to build a case against Gutman. The evidence included financial records, cellphone data, Apple iCloud data, telephone records, and advertisements posted to websites used to facilitate commercial sexual activity.
The task force conducted an undercover operation on August 5th, 2022. Prior to the operation, investigators scoured websites known to facilitate prostitution, including Eros.com, where they found a cell phone number advertising prostitution services. The cell phone was registered to Gutman who investigators say was acting as the pimp. The undercover agents arranged a meeting.
Investigators say that a Mercedes-Benz registered to Gutman, arrived at the undisclosed location where it was arranged that the girl and the undercover agent were to meet. When the girl was confronted by law enforcement, she screamed “Brandon!”, and attempted to call Gutman.
Investigators arrested the girl and reviewed her phone, uncovering a multi-year text thread between her and Gutman documenting the commercial sexual activity. There were many texts about specific commercial sex incidents as well as personal issues between the two.
Law enforcement recovered many advertisements for the girls known to work for Gutman on prostitution websites like Eros.com and escortbabylon.com.
Law enforcement reviewed Gutman’s financial records and found that he deposited over $200,000 into a credit union, spite not having a job. Investigators also uncovered many transfers of large amounts of cash between the girls and Gutman using apps like Zelle.
Law enforcement conducted several surveillances on Gutman and the girls in his employ. Investigators say that they would often use hotel rooms at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel to engage in commercial sexual activity.
Gutman was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail just after midnight on Friday, June 16th, 2023.
