By Matthew Monks
Six of the 11 men prosecuted under Operation Plaza Boys are from Queens, the DA said, and two of them were sentenced to six years.
“Police and prosecutors working closely together have apprehended and prosecuted numerous pimps who had brought prostitution to Queens Plaza and eroded the neighborhood's quality of life,” Brown said in a statement issued last Thursday. “Ongoing surveillance of the target area indicates that prostitution is now sporadic and no longer the public safety threat that it had once been.”
The most recent conviction came July 7 in Queens Supreme Court, when a 19-year-old Rosedale man was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty last month to promoting prostitution, Brown said.
Clifford Augustin, 19, of 138-05 Caney Lane was convicted of pimping a 15-year-old girl along Queens Plaza South in Jamaica and Rockaway. The girl, whom Brown said Augustin met in a Nassau County mall, performed three tricks a night from Sept. 12 to Oct. 8, 2003, earning a total of $4,800, the DA said.
Augustin lured the victim into prostitution by telling her how much money she could make and taught her how to pick up men. She was told to lie about her age and deny knowing him, Brown said.
Augustin was first arrested after a street altercation on Feb. 5, 2004. Cops began an investigation for prostitution after finding motel receipts, a motel key, condoms and $600 on him.
The DA said the other Queens pimps are:
-Kenny Carter, 27, of 117-30 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, who was sentenced to three to six years in prison for pimping three young girls between ages 16 and 20 along 36 blocks of Queens Plaza in the summer of 2001.
-Gavin Clarke, 26, of 164-10 Foch Blvd., Ozone Park, who was sentenced to two to six years in prison for prostitution of a 16-year-old girl.
-Taji Andall, 26, of 177-31 Leslie Rd., Rosedale, who pleaded guilty to attempted promoting prostitution of an underage female and was sentenced to one to three years in prison.
-Gerard Baker, 29, of 160-01 109th Ave., was sentenced to 2 1/4 to 4 1/2 years in prison for promoting prostitution of adult women.
-Michael Smith, 30, of 67-11 Yellowstone Blvd., Forest Hills, was sentenced to 2 1/2 to five years also for promoting prostitution of adult women.
Two men were convicted of pimping 12-year-old girls, the DA said.
James Pope, 21, of Manhattan, was sentenced to one to three years in prison and Tito Guzman, 25, of Brooklyn was sentenced to three to six years in prison.
The DA said the other pimps are Anthony Brown, 23, of Brooklyn; Ralston Reid, 25, of Brooklyn; and Donny Payne, 22, of Brooklyn.
Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
