Couple Prostituted 14-Year-Old Girls In Brownsville Howard Johnson, Prosecutors Say

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — A couple who allegedly prostituted two 14-year-old girls from a Howard Johnson hotel in Brownsville could face up to 25 years in prison, prosecutors announced Monday.

Shaunda Swanson, 23, and Anthony “Royalty” Young, 30, sold the girls’ bodies to men in Brooklyn, Long Island and New Jersey hotel rooms between March and August of 2016, prosecutors said.

The couple used provocative photographs of the two kids to advertise with escort services, said the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

One of the girls tried to resist, but Young allegedly told her he would her hurt if she didn’t keep sex with strangers and handing over her earnings to him, said prosecutors.

Young was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court on a 21-count indictment that includes charges of sex trafficking and promoting prostitution, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

Young and Swanson, who is slated to be arraigned next week, both face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count, prosecutors said.

“These defendants preyed on vulnerable young girls, selling them to men who had sex with them in exchange for money,” said Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

“Prostitution of minors is a dangerous and degrading crime and those who force others to work in the sex trade in Brooklyn will be prosecuted.”

Young is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 13.

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