NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A couple was arraigned on a 22-count indictment charging them with sex trafficking a 15-year-old girl they allegedly approached in Harlem and lured to Brooklyn, prosecutors said.
Daryl Hicks, 38, was arraigned and charged with sex trafficking of a child, multiple counts of promoting prostitution, rape, use of a child in a sexual performance, endangering the welfare of a child and related charges on Wednesday.
Hicks was ordered to be held without bail, and he will return to court on March 13.
Michelle Wicks, 31, was released without bail after her Dec. 7 arraignment. She was indicted for the sex trafficking of a child and related charges.
Between Nov. 20 and Dec. 30, 2022 the couple allegedly met the 15-year-old girl and convinced her to engage in acts of prostitution, the district attorney’s office said.
Hicks allegedly approached the girl in Harlem and told her “you could be working for me” and “I could put money in your pocket.”
The couple allegedly posted the victim’s photos on escort websites, arranged “dates” for her across Brooklyn and told her what sexual services to offer, how much to charge and how to communicate with buyers.
An investigation found that Hicks allegedly raped the victim on Dec. 25, 2022. Photos and videos of the girl were found on Hicks’ phone, including videos of sexual acts with Hicks.
Detectives from the Human Trafficking Squad recovered the victim from a room registered to Hicks in the Imperial Hotel in East New York after she was reported missing days earlier. The 15-year-old had reached out to her foster mother and sent her photos.
“I am committed to rescuing and protecting our at-risk teens from those who seek to harm and exploit them,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “Luckily, this victim was located by police after reaching out to her foster mother. We will now seek to bring these defendants to justice.”