A Bushwick man was arraigned Thursday at Brooklyn Supreme Court on two indictments charging him with promoting prostitution and sex trafficking of minors, according to the borough’s top prosecutor.
Terrence Rogers, a.k.a., Aura, 33, is accused of recruiting multiple victims, including three teenage girls aged 15 to 17, to engage in prostitution earlier this year. He was arrested on July 3 at his Bushwick apartment following an undercover sting operation, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Aug. 8.
Rogers was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on multiple charges, including sex trafficking of a child, promoting prostitution, third-degree rape, sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful dissemination of an intimate image.
Following the arrest, Rogers’ cousin, 28-year-old Vashorne McClain, was also charged after prosecutors accused him of allegedly acting as his cousin’s driver who transported several women to the Halsey Street apartment to engage in prostitution, including the 15-year-old victim.
McClain was arraigned Thursday on an indictment in which he was charged with sex trafficking of a child, third- and fourth-degree promoting prostitution, and endangering the welfare of a child.
“These defendants allegedly exploited three teenage girls, recruiting them to repeatedly engage in prostitution,” said DA Eric Gonzalez. “I am deeply committed to bringing to justice individuals who prey on vulnerable young people in Brooklyn, and we will now seek to hold these two defendants accountable.”
According to the DA’s office, Rogers allegedly recruited a 15-year-old girl to engage in prostitution at his Halsey Street apartment in Bushwick, between March 9 and April 12, after she was introduced to him by a classmate who was also involved in prostitution for the 33-year-old.
Prosecutors allege that Rogers posted the 15-year-old’s photo on a website advertising sexual services, providing her with a cellphone, and instructing her on how to communicate with customers and set prices. On April 12, it is alleged that Rogers sexually assaulted the 15-year-old victim.
One month later, he reportedly threatened to post a nude photo of her online unless she continued to engage in prostitution, according to prosecutors who allege that Rogers later posted the nude photo of the victim on a website and forcibly touched her.
On June 13, the 15-year-old victim confided in a social worker at her school about the assault, prompting an investigation by the DA’s Human Trafficking Unit and the NYPD.
As part of the sting operation, the DA’s office said an undercover officer responded to a live online advertisement featuring images of underage victims and was allegedly directed to Rogers’ Halsey Street apartment after calling the phone number listed in the advertisement.
The Halsey Street apartment was raided on July 3 after the undercover agent allegedly arranged to pay $100 for sex with a 22-year-old woman. Prosecutors said Rogers was allegedly caught with a partially undressed 17-year-old victim and was arrested at the scene.
Investigators claim that about six other women were involved in prostitution at the address.
At the Aug. 8 arraignment, Justice Chun ordered Rogers be held without bail. He is due back in court on Aug. 20. Meanwhile, McClain was released without bail and ordered to return to court on Sept. 18.
