A Southeast Queens man was indicted for sex trafficking five victims, including three minors as young as 14 years old, at hotels across Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island, according to federal prosecutors.
Tyrone Stylistic Crooks, 33, of St. Albans, was arrested at the Budget Inn in Huntington on Wednesday, March 11, and arraigned the following day in Central Islip federal court on a 12-count indictment charging him with sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors and transportation for prostitution. The three minor girls were between the ages of 14 and 17 at the time of the alleged crimes.
In addition to producing sexually exploitative images and videos of the minors, Crooks allegedly manipulated his victims to engage in commercial sex acts got his financial benefit using fraud, physical violence, and sexual violence.
“As alleged, the defendant preyed on vulnerable members of the community, subjecting his victims to threats, violence, and manipulation so that he could sell their bodies for his own profit,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella said. “Today’s arrest demonstrates our office’s unwavering commitment to aggressively prosecute sex traffickers, especially when minors are involved.”
According to court filings, since at least 2021 to the present, Crooks has operated as a “pimp” and trafficked victims across various locations in Queens, Brooklyn, and on Long Island, including Westbury, Woodbury, Hicksville, Melville, Bethpage, and Huntington. Of the five victims that Crooks is presently charged with trafficking, three were minors who came from out of state to work for Crooks doing prostitution in New York. Crooks enticed his victims using text messages and other online communications and paid their travel expenses.
According to court filings, Crooks promoted and managed his prostitution business over the internet, including posting sexually exploitative photos that he produced of his minor victims to further his trafficking business. In addition to recruiting minors, the defendant used them to create sexually explicit images and videos, which he then posted to the internet in advertisements.
In one message on Jan. 27, 2025, Crooks allegedly said to a minor, “Do your makeup for pics…And I got baby oil for the pics no diddy lol.” A search of the defendant’s iCloud account revealed multiple images of child pornography, from that same date where a male believed to be the defendant is pouring baby oil on a naked child, who is dancing. Crooks set the prices for commercial sex acts, arranged prostitution “dates,” and pursued his victims for money for his victims and controlled the money made during those “dates,” and pursued his victims for money he claimed they owed him for hotel rooms and other related expenses.
Crooks also demanded that his victims engage in sex acts with him and told at least one victim in text messages that she was not allowed to say “no” to him. Crooks physically assaulted multiple victims, including one who was pregnant at the time. After the victim texted the defendant that he “hurt [her] baby” and questioned “[yo]u thought punching in the stomach was a good idea[.] Could have been anywhere but [you] chose my stomach,” Crooks blamed the victim, texting, “You moved your arm not my fault.”
“Tyrone Crooks allegedly threatened, assaulted, and forced three minors to engage in sexual acts and produce sexually explicit content for his own personal gain,” FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Charles Barnacle said, “Through his alleged trafficking of these young girls, they were subjected to significant cruelty and unthinkable sexual abuse. The FBI continues to coordinate with our federal and local law enforcement partners to apprehend sexual predators and traffickers targeting vulnerable victims, especially children.”
Crooks pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lee Durst who ordered him detained into federal custody. If convicted of sex trafficking using force, fraud or coercion, Crooks faces a mandatory maximum term of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life in prison. If convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison. If convicted of trafficking a minor, Crooks faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
