A New Hampshire man has been convicted of running a prostitution operation following a trial during which witnesses described how he used their drug addictions to cause them to prostitute for his profit.
A federal jury on Friday found 33-year-old Steven Tucker, of Manchester, guilty of using interstate facilities to promote prostitution, maintaining a drug-involved premises, and sex trafficking of a minor. Sentencing is July 2.
Prosecutors said Tucker would front heroin to women and then arrange prostitution "dates." The women were required to give him half of the proceeds and then buy heroin from him with the rest.
Prosecutors said he also withheld heroin from the women, causing them to have withdrawal symptoms, and then told them to prostitute to earn money for heroin.
Tucker's lawyer unsuccessfully moved for a mistrial.
