WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 27, 2019 11
Man admits to forcing niece into sex work
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
EDAVENPORT@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
A Glendale man admitted to
forcing his teenage niece into
prostitution and endangering
the welfare of another 15-yearold
runaway in 2017, prosecutors
announced on June 25.
Eddy Florence, 34, pleaded guilty
to sex trafficking and endangering
the welfare of a child on June 24. He
is due to return to court on Aug. 1,
where a judge stated that Florence
will be sentenced to seven to 14 years
in prison.
“The defendant has now admitted
to forcing a teenage girl into having
sex with men for cash,” said acting
District Attorney John M. Ryan.
“Sex trafficking is an incessant
act of brutality and degradation
that scars its victims for life. The
defendant now faces a lengthy term
of incarceration for his actions.”
Charges say that in November
2017, Florence approached his 13-
year-old niece and asked her to
work for him as a prostitute out of
his Glendale home. In the weeks to
follow, Florence recruited a 15-yearold
girl, who prosecutors say was
forced into performing sexual acts
on customers at a Staten Island hotel
in December 2017.
According to the District
Attorney’s office, in pleading
guilty Florence admitted to placing
prostitution advertisements on
various escort service websites,
including Backpage.com, for both
teenage victims. For several weeks,
Florence forced the 13-year-old
into having sex with strangers for
money and demanded that all the
proceeds from the prostitution be
given to him.
On more than one occasion, when
the 13-year-old did not make enough
money, Florence would yell violently
and threaten her.
During a police search warrant of
his home on Dec. 13, 2017, Florence
was found in bed with his niece
and uncovered drugs, a credit card
embossing machine and Florence’s
cellphone, which was registered
as the phone number on the
prostitution ads. He was arrested
that same night.
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