NYC COUPLE CHARGED WITH PROSTITUTING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRLS
Pix 11/ Christina Reinwald
A couple has been charged with allegedly prostituting two 14-year-old girls, driving them aroundBrooklyn, Long Island and New Jersey to have sex with men in exchange for money, Acting BrooklynDistrict Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Monday.
Anthony Young aka Royalty, 30, of East New York, was indicted on 21 charges, including sextrafficking and promoting prostitution. He allegedly rented hotel rooms for men who paid to havesex with the girls and forced them to hand over most of their earnings to him, prosecutorssaid.
He will be held without bail and is expected to return to court in September. If convicted onthe highest count, he would have to register as a sex offender.
Young’s girlfriend, Shaunda Swanson, 23, of the Bronx, has been charged with promotingprostitution. She allegedly gave a victim false identification to be able to rent a hotel room.
Swanson is expected to be arraigned next week. Both defendants could face up to 25 years injail.
Prosecutors said the alleged crimes occurred between March and August of 2016. Young allegedlyprostituted the girls in Brooklyn, Hempstead, Huntington, Westbury, N.Y., and Elizabeth, N.J.
To find men, he allegedly posted photos of the teens alongside ads for escorts.
“These defendants preyed on vulnerable young girls, selling them to men who had sex withthem in exchange for money,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
“Prostitution of minors is a dangerous and degrading crime and those who force others towork in the sex trade in Brooklyn will be prosecuted.”
Message from Executive Director Laura A. Ahearn: Parents for Megan's Law and the Crime VictimsCenter provides prevention education, advocacy, counseling and other valuable support services tochild and adult victims of sexual assault and to all victims of violent crime. Please visit ourwebsite at www.parentsformeganslaw.org for news, information and resources in your community.
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