An Oakland man pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in a human-trafficking conspiracy in which women were forced to engage in commercial sex and beaten when they disobeyed instructions or withheld money, federal prosecutors said.
Michael Simon, 37, admitted conspiring with others to recruit, transport, harbor and advertise women for sex from June 2023 through September 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
The operation took place along Oakland’s International Boulevard, a corridor known as “the Blade,” and at other locations, prosecutors said…