An East New York couple have been indicted for allegedly sex trafficking a 15-year-old girl over a month-long period in 2022, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
The DA’s office alleges that Daryl Hicks, 38, and Michelle Wicks, 31, met the teenage victim and induced her to engage in acts of prostitution across Brooklyn.
According to prosecutors, the young girl was allegedly approached by Hicks in Harlem on Nov. 20 and told by him, “you could be working for me” and “I could put money in your pocket.”
Per the DA’s investigation, the couple actively posted the victim’s photo on escort websites and arranged “dates” for her at various locations across the borough. They allegedly instructed her on what sexual services to offer, how much to charge, and how to communicate with customers, per the investigation.
It is also alleged that Hicks engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim on Dec. 25, 2022, with prosecutors finding photos and videos of the victim, including videos of sexual acts with Hicks, on his cell phone.
The victim was reported missing days later after reaching out to her foster mother and sending her photos. On Dec. 30, 2022, detectives from the Human Trafficking Squad went to the Imperial Hotel in East New York and found the victim inside a room registered to Hicks, according to the DA’s office.
Hicks was arraigned on Feb. 28 before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, charged with with sex trafficking of a child, second-, third- and fourth-degree promoting prostitution, third-degree rape, use of a child in a sexual performance, endangering the welfare of a child, possessing a sexual performance by a child and promoting a sexual performance by a child.
He is currently being held without bail and was ordered to return to court on March 23.
Wicks was indicted for sex trafficking of a child and related charges. She was released without bail following her Dec. 7 indictment.
Brooklyn Paper reached out to Hicks and Wicks’ legal representatives for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
