A Brooklyn man was sentenced to eight years in prison for sex trafficking a 15-year-old girl in Harlem, according to prosecutors.
Daryl Hicks, 40, of East New York, and his wife, Michelle Wicks, 33, both pleaded guilty to various sex trafficking charges, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. After pleading guilty to sex trafficking of a child, Hicks was sentenced to eight years in prison and five years of post-release supervision. He must register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
Wicks pleaded guilty to second-degree promoting prostitution and fourth-degree promoting prostitution. As a condition of her plea, she will be able to withdraw her felony plea upon completion of the Women’s Prison Association Program.
According to the investigation, between Nov. 20, 2022 and Dec. 30, 2022, the defendants met the 15-year-old victim and induced her to engage in acts of prostitution. The victim was approached by Hicks in Harlem and told by him “You could be working for me,” and “I could put money in your pocket.”
The defendants actively posted the victim’s photo on escort websites and arranged “dates” for her at various locations in Brooklyn. They instructed her on what sexual services to offer, how much to charge, and how to communicate with customers, according to the DA.
Hicks engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim on Christmas Day in 2022, according to the investigation. Photos and videos of the victim, including videos of sexual acts with Hicks, were discovered on the defendant’s cell phone.
Detectives from the Human Trafficking Squad went to the Imperial Hotel in East New York on Dec. 30, 2022 and recovered the victim inside a room registered to Hicks. She had been reported missing days earlier after reaching out to her foster mother and sending her photos.
“This young victim showed tremendous courage in coming forward after enduring horrific exploitation," Gonzalez said in a statement. "The defendant’s actions were cruel, manipulative and deeply damaging, stealing a child’s sense of safety for his own gain."
