Feb. 27—A Leesport man will serve at least 8 1/2 years in state prison for intimidating a witness set to testify against him in a human-trafficking case.

Dushawn Ellis, 34, was found guilty by a Berks County jury in December of putting out a $20,000 hit on the witness, according to state Attorney General Michelle Henry. The jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of witness intimidation and one count of obstruction of justice.

Ellis was sentenced Monday by Judge Thomas G. Parisi to 8 1/2 to 22 years in prison on those counts.

“This defendant was willing to use any means necessary to make the charges against him go away,” the attorney general said in a statement announcing the sentencing. “My office stands by this brave witness. This sentence holds the defendant accountable for his threats and intimidations, and serves as a reminder that this type of conduct will not be tolerated in Pennsylvania.”

According to the attorney general’s office:

Trial testimony showed that while Ellis was in Berks County Prison he approached another inmate who knew a witness set to testify in Ellis’ human-trafficking case.

Ellis told the other inmate that he was putting a $20,000 bounty on the witness.

Later, Ellis video-chatted from prison with the witness, saying he would pay someone $20,000 to kill the witness if the witness didn’t refuse to testify.

Ellis was arrested in July 2021 on charges related to a human-trafficking and drug ring. The investigation into that case is pending.

According to state police, the ring used promises of drugs and threats of violence to coerce vulnerable, young women into prostitution.

Two others also were arrested in relation to the ring.

Hector Rivera, Reading, was convicted by a jury in February 2023 on human-trafficking and drug charges.

President Judge M. Theresa Johnson in May sentenced Rivera to 33 1/2 to 69 years in state prison.

The attorney general’s office said a grand jury investigation found that Rivera began selling drugs to his victim, who struggled with addiction, in 2019. When she could no longer pay for drugs, Rivera forced her to perform sexual acts for him and other men in exchange for crack-cocaine.

In April 2020, Rivera brought the young woman to a hotel in Reading where she was coerced to have sex with men in exchange for money, investigators said. Rivera kept all the money from these transactions for himself.

A case against Bridget M. Thompson of Lancaster is still pending.