By Queens DA Richard Brown
The investigation and prosecution of cases involving sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of women and children is among the highest priorities of my office. Since the enactment of New York State’s Sex Trafficking statute in 2007, the Queens County District Attorney’s Office has been in the forefront of efforts to use the statute to protect trafficking victims and bring their traffickers to justice. Queens brought the first indictment in New York State and obtained the first conviction in the state for sex trafficking. To date, 15 individuals have been convicted of sex trafficking. All have received state prison sentences. Another 25 individuals are under indictment for sex trafficking and their cases are pending.
In the convicted cases, the majority of the sex trafficking victims were underage runaways as young as 13 and 14 years old. Many of them are advertised on Backpage.com and on Craigslist. Some were subjected to beatings, choking and threats of death.
In addition to sex trafficking, our office works closely with various local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cases involving promoting prostitution, Internet child luring (cases where an adult uses the Internet to contact a minor and attempts to meet the minor to engage in sexual activity) and child pornography (the possession, sale and distribution of graphic photos and videos of children being sexually abused.) In an effort to obtain critical evidence and build the strongest possible cases, our office utilizes court-authorized search warrants and electronic surveillance. We also employ civil remedies, where appropriate, to close down brothels or evict those who are using businesses or residences to further criminal activity.
Since 2004, our office has participated in a specialized court called the Human Trafficking Intervention Part which offers men and women charged with prostitution or loitering for prostitution the opportunity to attend treatment or service programs targeted for human trafficking victims. A variety of treatment providers serve the court and offer a range of programs to meet the needs of the participants regardless of age, gender identity, language spoken or other special needs. More than 1,000 individuals have benefitted from the services provided by the Human Trafficking Intervention Part.
Our office remains committed to doing all we can to stamp out commercial sexual exploitation of women and children and making our Queens communities safe and healthy places for all of our residents to live and work.
By Queens DA Richard Brown
