NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A group of four were charged for conspiring to traffic a 14-year-old girl announced, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., announced Thursday.
Nickolous Charles, 21, Brianna Moreno, 20, Alejandrina Ventura, 24, and Wilson-Mariano Ventura, 23, were charged with conspiracy and promoting prostitution.
Additionally, Charles, Alejandrina Ventura, and Wilson-Mariano Ventura are also charged with sex trafficking of a child.
According to court documents, beginning on Nov. 10, 2023, all four conspired to traffic a 14-year-old child who frequently ran away from home.
The group posted prostitution ads on various escort websites, featuring nude or half-dressed photos of the child, prosecutors allege.
Moreno and Charles set up sexual encounters with the child using various phone numbers including their own, and paid Alejandrina Ventura and Wilson-Mariano Ventura proceeds from that prostitution in the form of "rent" to stay in and work out of the Venturas' Harlem apartment, officials said.
The group texted each other and the child about the prostitution scheme, set up and provided a place for the encounters, and collected proceeds from the commercial sexual acts, according to the D.A.
Investigators with the NYPD and the Manhattan D.A.’s Human Trafficking Unit launched an investigation by tracing the phone numbers associated with the online advertisements.
"As alleged, these individuals targeted a 14-year-old who frequently ran away from home, abusing her and profiting off of her," DA Bragg said. "The child’s age is exceedingly common in human trafficking cases and illustrates why my office is fighting to eliminate the statute of limitations for sex trafficking."
"This young girl has been put through an unimaginably terrible ordeal, and it is no wonder why it might take survivors more than a very narrow five years to come forward," he added.