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According to DA Brown, Hawkins admitted that he took the then 16-year-old victim to various borough locations where she was forced to have sexual intercourse and/or oral sex with men in exchange for money that she was required to turn over to Hawkins.
By Forum Staff
A South Ozone Park man has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking for forcing a now 19-year-old girl into prostitution beginning when she was 16 and with verbally and physically abusing her when she pleaded to stop trading sex for cash, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
Shawn Hawkins, 24, pleaded guilty last Thursday to the crime of sex trafficking. The acting Queens Supreme Court justice has indicated that Hawkins will be sentenced to two to six years in prison on June 1.
In pleading guilty, Hawkins admitted that he took the then 16-year-old victim to various borough locations between Aug. 14, 2014, and Feb. 2, 2017, where she was forced to have sexual intercourse and/or oral sex with men in exchange for money that she was required to turn over to Hawkins, who demanded that she call him “Daddy.” Hawkins also took the victim’s identification away from her at times and held it to force her to engage in prostitution. The victim feared that if she didn’t continue prostituting herself that Hawkins would hurt or kill her, Brown said.
The district attorney also noted that Hawkins’ guilty plea is the 33rd sex-trafficking conviction obtained by his office since State legislation strengthening penalties against human trafficking and providing assistance to victims took effect on Nov. 1, 2007. Significantly, all of the defendants have been, or in Hawkins’ case will be, sentenced to serve state prison time, Brown noted.
“Prostitution is not a ‘victimless’ crime and now the defendant will be punished for this very degrading criminal act,” the DA added.
