Abusive NYC pimp Arthur Dawson sentenced to 50 years for rape and teen trafficking

The pimp, described as one of the “most brutal traffickers” ever prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, was sentenced Wednesday to 50 years in prison for forcing children into prostitution.

Arthur Dawson, 31, learned of his fate in Manhattan Supreme Court after a July 2022 jury found him guilty of child sex trafficking, prostitution and conspiracy.

Dawson, along with co-defendant Daniel Washington, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in November 2022, lured teenage girls through the Facebook messaging service and then sold them for sex in the Bronx and other parts of New York.

According to prosecutors, the patient once raped and strangled a 17-year-old girl in a stairwell when she asked him for half of the money she received from a client at the hotel.

“Arthur Dawson is among the most vicious traffickers the FDA has ever prosecuted,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

“Together with Daniel Washington, Dawson ran a horrendous business of recruiting girls and young women into prostitution for their personal gain,” Bragg continued.

The convictions for child sex trafficking were the first in the state since the passage of a criminal law in June 2018 to crack down on predators who force or manipulate children into prostitution.

Stephen Hirsh

Stephen Hirsh

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Stephen Hirsh

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Previously, in New York City, child victims had to testify against their pimps so prosecutors could prove a charge of sex trafficking.

“By eliminating the need to prove force, fraud, or coercion against children under 18, we will be able to bring more serious cases and save young survivors from the trauma of having to testify within walking distance of their traffickers,” then-Manhattan. Cyrus Vance Jr., District Attorney, said at the time the bill was passed.