Crown Heights Man Charged With Trafficking 19-Year-Old: Brooklyn DA

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — A Crown Heights man stands accused of sex trafficking and beating a teenager, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Monday.

Samuel Tucker, 39, was arraigned on sex trafficking, promoting prostitution, assault and coercion charges in Brooklyn Criminal Court Friday, according to the District Attorney.

“This defendant’s allegedly violent and exploitative abuse of women for profit shocks the conscience," Gonzalez said in a news release.

Tucker took a 19-year-old woman living in a Brownsville shelter into his home, and promised her cash and drugs in exchange for prostitution, Gonzalez said.

Instead, Tucker arranged prostitution dates for her and pocketed the money, according to the district attorney. On occasion, Tucker beat the young woman, burning and bruising her, according to Gonzalez.

Prosecutors say Tucker also tied up and tortured a 40-year-old woman involved in the prostitution, and badly beat her with a firearm in front of the 19-year-old and instructed the 19-year-old to bandage her up, according to Gonzalez.

One of the women ran away in January and contacted NYPD, according to Gonzalez.

If found guilty as charged, Tucker faces up to a 25-year sentence and sex offender status. Tucker is being held on $200,000 cash bail or $750,000 bond, with a court date scheduled for May 10.