A 22-year-old Jamaica man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking for forcing a then-16-year-old girl into prostitution on Monday, Jan. 27, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
The defendant, Tyquan “Gun Play” Henderson, now faces up to nine years in prison.
According to the charges, the victim met Henderson through a mutual friend in 2018, when she was 15 years old. A few months later, after she had turned 16, Henderson began setting up prostitution meet-ups between the girl and various men, according to Katz.
Henderson threatened the victim and told her that he’d hurt her if she didn’t make at least $500 each night she was forced to work, Katz said.
“The defendant, whose street name is Gun Play, used intimidation and manipulation to force this youngster into repeatedly having sex with various men for money,” Katz said. “He lined his own pockets with the cash she made from the various Johns who paid for sex. Trafficking girls for sex is illegal and will not be tolerated in Queens County.”
The trafficking went on for two months, in May and June of 2018, until the girl escaped and went to a friend’s home. The friend’s mother contacted the police and started the investigation into Henderson, according to court records.
Henderson was initially charged with compelling prostitution, sex trafficking, second-degree promoting prostitution, third-degree rape, third-degree criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child.
Henderson, who lived on 156th Street, will be sentenced on March 31. He faces three to nine years in prison.
