FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Man and Woman Indicted for Sex Trafficking of Teenage Girl
Defendants Are Each Charged with Sex Trafficking of a Child,
Among Other Charges in 12-Count Indictment
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a man and a woman have been named in an indictment charging them with the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl. The male defendant was arraigned today. His co-defendant remains unapprehended.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “These defendants allegedly took advantage of a teenage girl, forcing her to repeatedly engage in sex with several men in exchange for money that the defendants took from her. We have no tolerance for this kind of outrageous conduct, and I will continue to hold accountable anyone who criminally exploits vulnerable youth in Brooklyn.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Kaelin Alexander, a.k.a. Chantz, 23, of Staten Island. His co-defendant remains unapprehended. Both defendants are variously charged in a 12-count indictment with sex trafficking of a child, second-, third- and fourth-degree promoting prostitution and endangering the welfare of a child. Alexander was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, who set bail at $50,000 cash or $350,000 bond. The defendant was ordered to return to court on January 23, 2023. He faces up to 25 years in prison and would be required to register as a sex offender if convicted of the top count.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between August 7, 2022 and August 19, 2022, the defendants made the victim, a 16-year-old girl, engage in prostitution in exchange for money in East New York, Brooklyn, walking the track on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is an area known for prostitution activity, while the defendants waited in Alexander’s car.
Furthermore, it is alleged, that on or about August 20, 2022, Alexander and his co-defendant got into an altercation and the co-defendant left the car. Thereafter, it is alleged, the victim began engaging in prostitution solely for Alexander giving Alexander the money she earned.”
Finally, according to the investigation, the New York City Police Department subsequently received information regarding the possible sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl, an investigation was commenced, and the victim was recovered on October 17, 2022, after an undercover operation was conducted.
The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Denis Regimbal of the Human Trafficking Squad, under the supervision of Sergeant Robert Duplessis, Lieutenant Amy Capogna, and Captain Thomas Milano.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Iorio, of the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Weiss, Deputy Unit Chief, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau.
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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt