A Brooklyn man has been indicted for allegedly sex trafficking and assaulting a teen girl, as well as assaulting a 40-year-old woman, among other charges, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced.
39-year-old Samuel Tucker, a resident of Crown Heights, was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice E. Niki Warin on a 27-count indictment on the afternoon of April 7, 2023.
Among the charges Tucker faces include sex trafficking; second-, third- and fourth-degree prostitution promotion; second- and third-degree assault; second-degree attempted assault; first-, second- and third-degree coercion, and fourth-degree possession of a weapon.
If convicted, the Crown Heights resident faces a max sentence of 25 years in jail, along with having to register as a sex offender.
According to evidence from the investigation, the 19-year-old victim — who was homeless and living in a Brownsville shelter — was allegedly convinced by Tucker to engage in prostitution for him with the promise of receiving drugs and money.
After allegedly moving into Tucker’s Crown Heights apartment, the victim is alleged to have engaged in prostitution with multiple people that were arranged by Tucker, in which the Crown Heights man allegedly instructed her on how much to charge, with all the money that she earned being immediately pocketed by him.
It is alleged that Tucker assaulted the victim on multiple occasions, including hitting her repeatedly with a can of corn stuffed in a sock, as well as heating up a spoon on a stove and using it to burn the victim’s feet.
In addition to the teenage victim, Tucker also allegedly assaulted a 40-year-old woman — who was reportedly also engaging in prostitution acts to the benefit of the Brooklyn man — numerous times.
The first alleged incident involved the Crown Heights resident hogtying the woman and placing her in a bathtub full of scalding hot water and repeatedly holding her head underneath the water. During the second alleged incident, the man reportedly beat the middle-aged victim’s head and body with a firearm. Both alleged incidents occurred in the presence of the 19-year-old girl, according to District Attorney Gonzalez.
On Jan. 18, 2023, the teen victim was allegedly able to escape and proceeded to contact the New York City Police Department.
“This defendant’s allegedly violent and exploitative abuse of women for profit shocks the conscience and we are committed to seeking justice on behalf of the victims and anyone impacted by human trafficking,” said Gonzalez.
Tucker was held on a bail of $200,000 cash or a $750,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 10, 2023.
