OAKLAND, Calif. — An Oakland man has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to commit human trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion.

Michael Simon, 37, admitted that between June 2023 and September 2025, he conspired with others to recruit, harbor, transport, advertise, and control victims on the Oakland Blade and at other locations, knowing that force, threats, fraud, or coercion would be used to compel them to engage in commercial sex acts.

According to his plea agreement, Simon and his co-conspirators posted online advertisements for the victims and rented hotel rooms in Oakland where commercial sex acts took place. They used cellphones to communicate with prospective customers and instructed victims by text message to post advertisements and report to specific hotel rooms.

The victims were not permitted to keep the money they received and had no control over their working hours, fees, or locations. Simon admitted that when victims refused to engage in commercial sex or failed to turn over the money they received, he physically assaulted them, including striking them in the head and face.

Simon is scheduled to be sentenced on October 1, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The final sentence will be determined by the court under federal law and the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The FBI and the Oakland Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ivana Djak is prosecuting it.