The Brooklyn pimp accused of chopping up his girlfriend and storing her body parts in his freezer in 2017 has been charged with murder and with sex trafficking eight women, officials announced Monday.
Somorie Moses, also known as “Somorie Barfield,” “Sugar Bear,” “Bear” and “Daddy,” has been charged with the 2017 murder of Leondra Foster, and with sex trafficking eight women, according to a 10-count indictment unsealed on May 24.
The charges were announced on Tuesday by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department.
Officials said Moses’ indictment is believed to be the first use of the federal statute criminalizing murder in the course of sex trafficking.
“Sex trafficking is a modern form of slavery that uses violence and fear to force vulnerable individuals to work for someone else’s profit, in this case resulting in the alleged brutal murder of one of the victims,” Peace said in a statement.
“This office will continue to prioritize investigation and prosecution of these heinous crimes. I thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward to report the defendant’s crimes and hope that this prosecution will help bring them and Ms. Foster’s family closure.”
Moses stands accused of forcing women and girls, including minors, into prostitution for his benefit, using violence, threats of violence and psychological manipulation, per the indictment.
The defendant’s heinous actions are said to date back to at least 2003, when he is believed to have started using false promises of love and marriage to initiate sexual relationships with his victims, before demanding they work as prostitutes for his earning.
Moses allegedly used brutal beatings, rape, torture, and threats to coerce his victims, based in both Brooklyn and Queens, to work for him, according to court records. He also allegedly pressured many of his victims into getting his first name, Somorie, tattooed on their bodies.
In January 2017, the body of Leondra Foster — one of Moses’ sex trafficking victims — was discovered in pieces inside a deep freezer. Moses allegedly beat Foster to death until she died and, the following morning, used a knife and a saw to dismember her inside of their shared Brooklyn apartment.
Four days later, on the morning of Jan. 17, 2017, Moses allegedly brought Foster’s torso and limbs to the Bronx for disposal at a sanitation site. Her head, hands and feet — including a foot with the name “Somorie” tattooed on it — were subsequently recovered by law enforcement inside the Moses’ home.
“He’s accused of storing a woman’s head in his freezer after he killed her. Imagine how hard it is for his victims to come forward — but they have and should be commended for their bravery,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael Driscoll said Monday.
“They will help us bring Moses to justice for his alleged crimes, and will keep him from harming another human being.”
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In October 2019, Moses admitted to chopping up Foster’s body (and to sex trafficking the victim) but maintained innocence in her slaying.
“Mr. Moses cut up her body,” his lawyer, Julie Clark, told the Brooklyn jury at the time. “He didn’t want to go to jail. He didn’t want to be blamed. He had no motive to kill his moneymaker.”
Moses will be arraigned Monday afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Robert Levy.
If convicted of the murder charge, Moses faces life in prison, and is eligible for the death penalty under federal law.
