Authorities in Brooklyn arrested a man for allegedly trafficking women as prostitutes for an open-air sex market in New York.
An indictment unsealed on Monday identifies the man as Ferron Facey, 38, also known as "Azul," "Blue," "Royal," and "Royal Da P."
He's charged with two counts of sex trafficking and one count of interstate prostitution for bringing young women from out of state to the Eastern District of New York to prostitute.
The court filing states Facey allegedly recruited young women—one of whom was under 18 years old—to work for him in prostitution at an open-air sex market in East New York, Brooklyn, commonly referred to as "Penn Track" or "Blade."
Facey reportedly used violence, coercion, and threats of force to exert control over the victims and has a violent history, according to Christie Curtis, FBI Acting Assistant Director.
Curtis claimed the man's "depravity knows no bounds."
In a video posted to social media in 2023, Facey was allegedly seen verbally assaulting a woman, warning the victim, "I got hoes out here that'll beat you up right now... I put hands on bitches."
Shortly afterward, two people got out of his car and physically attacked the woman.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said, "My office is working diligently with our local and federal law enforcement partners to shut down this blight on our district where vulnerable victims are callously exploited by people like the defendant and the customers who patronize this location.
If convicted, Facey is looking at a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years while the interstate prostitution charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
