Despite the recent sentencing of a notorious pimp to 50 years in prison for human trafficking and murder conspiracy, sex workers in Brooklyn’s “Penn Track” area say business continues as usual, marked by coercion, violence, and extreme financial dependency. Omari “Prince” Scott, 45, was convicted of multiple charges, including orchestrating the murder of a rival pimp.
Testimony from Scott’s trial and accounts from current sex workers reveal a harsh reality in East New York's Pennsylvania Avenue area, known locally as “the Blade.” Women report being forced to meet daily quotas, often as high as $1,000, with pimps monitoring their activities and collecting all earnings. Leaving the life is described as nearly impossible due to the complete financial control pimps exert, including withholding funds for basic necessities like diapers and clothing.
"The pimp will say, ‘We building something.’ But it’s you building and him collecting," one woman told The Post. "You think you chose him. Then you realize you gotta ask to leave, ask to eat, ask to keep some of your own money.”
Scott's trial exposed practices of extreme control, including tracking victims via apps like Life360 and issuing death threats. One victim, known as “Henny,” faced Scott’s rage when she attempted to leave, with Scott responding via text, “Oh, that’s the day of your funeral.” He later recruited another trafficker, Michael “Victory” Simmons, to kill rival pimp Cleveland Clay, who Henny had attempted to switch to.
Simmons pleaded guilty to shooting Clay five times in a White Castle parking lot on May 1, 2023, a crime prosecutors said was motivated by Henny’s attempt to switch pimps. Scott was convicted in June 2025 of trafficking Henny and the murder conspiracy, having previously pleaded guilty to trafficking another victim, known as Star, and promoting prostitution.
Law enforcement efforts are ongoing, with the NYPD’s Human Trafficking Squad reporting contact with 170 to 200 women annually since 2023 and conducting outreach operations in the Penn Track area. However, sex workers report that police presence is often transient, with pimps and workers resuming activities shortly after patrols leave.
"One week they leave us alone, next week it’s every night — lights on us, run our names, move along. Then they gone again and it’s back to business," a worker said. "This ain’t my whole life. This what I do to get through this part of my life.”
Despite Scott's conviction and the removal of several pimps from the streets, new individuals quickly take their places. Men are frequently observed in parked cars and on scooters, monitoring the women and potential clients, creating an atmosphere of constant vigilance for the sex workers. The women describe a perpetual state of heightened awareness, needing to watch their clients, other workers, the police, and the pimps observing them.