NEW YORK — A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of a minor for forcing two 16-year-old girls into prostitution.
Steven Bell, 36, of Flatbush, Brooklyn, will not only spend a decade in prison, but has also been sentenced to five years of post-release supervision, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced. Bell will have to register as a sex offender.
According to the district attorney, citing the investigation, a 16-year-old girl living in a residential facility outside of New York City left the facility on October 17, 2020, and headed to Brooklyn to meet Bell, who he convinced her to engage in prostitution for him.
Bell, with the help of an apparent accomplice, took sexually suggestive photos of the teen and posted them online, advertising sex for money, according to Gonzalez’s office.
In late October, the teen reportedly contacted another 16-year-old girl she knew. The second girl left a facility to join the first teen and Bell in Brooklyn. Bell also took provocative photos of her and posted them online.
The teenagers were trafficked until December 2020 until the New York City Police Department received information about the possible crime involving the minors and an investigation was launched.
“This defendant took advantage of two vulnerable girls to make money,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Child sexual exploitation is a real and persistent problem and I remain committed to investigating, vigorously prosecuting and holding accountable anyone who engages in this appalling and harmful conduct.”
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