Man faces teen-sex traffic raps

A pistol-packing pimp forced two teenage girls into a life of prostitution with his threats and violence, using them for his own profit and perverse pleasure, authorities charged Wednesday.

Joseph Harris, 37, of Brooklyn, was accused of sex trafficking, promoting prostitution and possessing a firearm while a felon, according to a four-count federal indictment. He was held without bail after a Brooklyn Federal Court hearing.

Authorities alleged that between July 2017 and Harris' arrest in May 2018, he recruited a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year girl-old girl who were kept in a basement apartment on St. Marks Ave. in Prospect Heights. The two were given drugs and required to have regular sex with the defendant when not selling their bodies to customers.

“As alleged, Harris' vile actions dehumanized his victims, stripping them of their innocence and forcing them into a life of brutality and neglect,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney of the New York office.

The vile operation ended when 911 callers dialed police to report that Harris – who used the aliases Luis Santana and Joey Moscato – was keeping the young girls and some older women against their will in the apartment. The defendant used social media and the internet to promote his illicit operation, according to authorities.

Two women were discovered along with the 16-yearold, and investigators later learned about the 14-year-old. Harris provided the women with access to drugs, and demanded all the money they earned, officials said.

“These crimes — especially those involving minors — are among the most heinous in our society,” said NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill.

A handgun was recovered from Harris' subterranean residence shortly before his arrest, officials said. The indictment against Harris was filed last month and unsealed this week.