- Arthur Dawson, a pimp described as one of “the most violent traffickers” by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for forcing underage girls into prostitution.
- Dawson and co-defendant Daniel Washington lured teenage girls through Facebook and sold them for sex in The Bronx and other parts of New York City.
- Both convictions in the child sex trafficking trial were the first in New York state following the enactment of a criminal law in 2018 aimed at cracking down on predators who coerce or manipulate children and teens into prostitution.
Arthur Dawson, a pimp described as one of “the most violent traffickers” prosecuted by the Manhattan (NYC) District Attorney’s Office, was sentenced yesterday to 50 years behind bars for forcing underage girls into prostitution, some of them recruited via Facebook.
Dawson also raped and strangled a 17-year-old girl in a stairwell when she asked him for half the money she had received from a client at a hotel, prosecutors said.
“Arthur Dawson is among the most violent traffickers this Office has ever prosecuted,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg summarized in a statement, commenting on the sentencing.
Dawson, 31, met his fate in Manhattan Supreme Court after a jury last July found him guilty of sex trafficking of minors, promoting prostitution, and conspiracy.
Dawson and co-defendant Daniel Washington, sentenced to 25 years in November 2022, lured teenage girls through the Facebook messaging service and then sold them for sex in The Bronx and other parts of New York City.
“Along with Daniel Washington, Dawson operated a horrific enterprise that recruited girls and young women to work as prostitutes for his personal profit,” Bragg continued.
Both convictions in a child sex trafficking trial were the first in New York state following the enactment of the criminal law in June 2018 aimed at cracking down on predators who coerce or manipulate children and teens into prostitution. Previously these victims had to testify against their pimps for prosecutors to prove a sex trafficking charge, New York Post noted.
In a similar case, last week, two young men were sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to the rape and sex trafficking of three minors in Queens (NYC).
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) warned in 2020 of an increase in child pornography cases during the pandemic because of the lack of school, sports, and recreational activities and the increased time adults and children spend online.
Last December, it was announced that two New Jersey men were facing lengthy sentences on charges of producing child pornography and sex trafficking of minors. In the fall, a Long Island (NY) motel owner, his wife, son, and an employee were arrested and charged with enabling sex trafficking on their premises.
Earlier in June, a Hispanic couple was prosecuted in Manhattan (NYC) for using violence to coerce women into prostitution and selling sexual content on OnlyFans. In November last year, the owner of a motel in Long Island (NY), his wife, his son, and an employee were accused of allowing sex trafficking in the motel’s facilities and receiving money from pimps and drug dealers.
In February 2022, Birmania “Nancy” Rincon, a former Teaneck (NJ) resident who had fled to Colombia, was arrested upon her return to the country on suspicion of running a prostitution ring in New York and New Jersey with Latina women. In July 2022, 8 people operating a sex trafficking ring from poor countries to New Jersey were arrested for luring them with a better life.
If you are a victim or suspect someone is being mistreated:
- Call 911 or 1.888.NYCWELL ( 1.888.692.9355 ).
- Text “ WELL ” to 65173.
- Review information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/