According to a joint statement of facts read into the court record, Verdieu Registre, 33, was the leader of a ring that included six accomplices, or “bookers,” who worked underneath him as well as 26 women who worked as prostitutes.

Prosecutor Amélie Rivard told Quebec Court Judge Julie Riendeau that one of the mitigating factors in Registre’s case is that none of the women who worked with him wanted to file complaints with police. Some of the women said they considered Registre to be their business partner, Rivard said.

The prosecutor also said the Montreal police investigation, dubbed Project Migration, revealed the network operated for five years in Quebec, Ontario, western Canada and the U.S.

“He acted like a boss and his accomplices, or bookers, referred to him when it came to managing the prostitution. He could determine the location of the prostitution, the rate and how the sex workers would be relocated, as well as their work hours,” Rivard said.