FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Queens Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking of Woman
Victim was Allegedly Drugged, Beaten and Forced to Engage in Prostitution, Held Against Her Will, Bound with Electrical Cord
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Long Island City man has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with sex trafficking, promoting prostitution, assault, and related charges for the alleged sex trafficking of a young woman in Brooklyn and elsewhere.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This young woman allegedly suffered horrific abuse at the hands of this defendant. Thankfully, she was able to escape and get help. We must continue to do all we can to raise awareness of human trafficking and to prosecute those who engage in this appalling crime.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Walter Pinckney, 25, of Long Island City, Queens. He was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a nine-count indictment in which he is charged with sex trafficking, second-, third- and fourth-degree promoting prostitution, second- and third-degree assault, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and unlawful imprisonment. He faces up to 25 years in prison on the top count and would be required to register as a sex offender if convicted. He was ordered held on bail of $500,000 bond or $100,000 cash and to return to court on November 16, 2021.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between May 11, 2021 and June 6, 2021, the defendant allegedly forced a 24-year-old woman who he met through mutual friends to work as a prostitute after taking sexually suggestive photos of her and posting them in advertisements on megapersonals.com and skipthegames.com, offering sex in exchange for money.
It is alleged that when the victim said she did not want to work in prostitution, the defendant hit her. He allegedly arranged numerous dates for her throughout New York City and specifically at the Imperial Hotel in East New York, giving her Adderall and Ecstasy to keep her awake and working – sometimes for up to three consecutive days.
It is alleged that the abuse escalated throughout the course of the time the woman was with the defendant, including an instance where he allegedly placed both of his hands around her neck and applied pressure restricting her ability to breath because she did not want work as a prostitute.
On another occasion, it is alleged, she was tasered by an unidentified woman and beaten by the defendant after leaving a date and heading to the defendant’s residence on her own instead of waiting to be picked up. She was allegedly punched in the face, chest and abdomen by the defendant and suffered bruising and broken ribs.
Finally, it is alleged, the woman was taken to a house in East Flatbush in early June and held at the location and not given adequate food or water. She was confined to a single room and her wrists and ankles were bound with electrical cord. On June 6, 2021, she was able to loosen the cords, escape the residence, run down the street, and call 911 from a local corner store.
The case was investigated by Detectives Antonio Pagan and Liam O’Hara of the New York City Police Department, Human Trafficking Squad, under the supervision of Sergeant Robert Duplessis and Lieutenant Amy Capogna, along with Detective David Mills from the NYPD/HSI Public Safety Task Force, under the supervision of Sergeant Taiwo Adeleke. Both squads fall under the overall supervision of Captain Thomas Milano, Executive Officer and Inspector Fernando Guimaraes, Commanding Officer of the Vice Human Trafficking Unit.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Mary E. Monahan, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Weiss, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit, and under the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the Special Victims Bureau.
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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt