Man admits being pimp for Pa. teens

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — A man accused of being a pimp for two girls pleaded guilty Friday to transporting the teens from Pennsylvania to Atlantic City so they could be prostitutes, federal prosecutors said.

The girls were sisters from Allentown, ages 16 and 14, according to New Jersey State Police, who arrested Casson L. Coward in June.

Coward, 24, faces 10 years to life in federal prison when sentenced Feb. 4 by U.S. District Judge Renee M. Bumb. He has been in custody since his arrest in June, when the girls were reunited with their family.

Coward, who lived near Atlantic City in Pleasantville, has agreed to forfeit the car, camera and computer he used in his scheme, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Richardson said.

State police said the case started when an undercover trooper contacted a prostitute through a Web site. The girls told authorities that Coward had posted their services on the site. The listing included nude photos and contact numbers, state police said.

Coward admitted he met the girls in Allentown, and he and another man, Kevin R. Mayfield, drove them to New Jersey. Mayfield has pleaded not guilty and faces trial.

Coward said one of the girls had two meetings with customers who paid her for sexual activity, and that the girl gave him the money she got.