A Brooklyn man was charged with prostituting a pair of teenage girls out of a hotel in Jamaica, prosecutors announced on June 19.
Steven Pomie (also know as P Gutta), 36, was arraigned on June 18 on a 16-count indictment charging him with compelling prostitution, sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a child, second- and third-degree promoting prostitution and third-degree assault. He was held without bail and is due to return to court on Sept. 3.
If convicted, Pomie faces up to 25 years in prison.
“The victims in this case were not choosing sex work as a way to make money. They were not selling sexual favors for fun. They were victims, teenage girls forced into the heinous sex trafficking industry by a defendant who allegedly used physical force and intimidation to bend the girls to do his will,” said acting District Attorney John M. Ryan. “No child — no one — should have to endure this kind of treatment or be forced into trading sex for cash. Prostitution is in no way a victimless crime and the defendant will be held accountable for his alleged criminal acts.”
According to the charges, in November 2018 the 17-year-old victim met Pomie when she went to stay with her 16-year-old longtime friend at the JFK Inn, located at 154-10 South Conduit Ave.
While she was there, the victim allegedly saw her friend engage in prostitution and saw Pomie strike her friend on multiple occasions when she was unable to “work.”
Charges say that Pomie allegedly forced the 17-year-old to also engage in prostitution. When the victim told Pomie that she didn’t want to, he allegedly struck her, pushed her around and told her that she was “messing with his money.”
