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Bloods Arrested For Running Underage Sex Trafficking Rings
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2010
Modified Jun 2, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2010
Modified Jun 2, 2010
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Eight members and associates of the Bloods have been arrested and charged with running a series of sex trafficking rings, some involving girls recruited from junior high schools. Four distinct operations around Bushwick, Brownsville and East New York were uncovered by Brooklyn prosecutors, including two run by alleged ringleader Abking Wilcox, who kept the working girls at his apartment: "He kept the girls prisoner in his house and if they didn't make the $500 minimum [a day] he beat them," one investigator told the Post.
Wilcox, 30, who has previous arrests for assault, weapons possession and promoting prostitution, ran a separate operation with James Kortu, a member of the Bloods' Horsegang unit, and Christiann Woodberry. "Woodberry was the eyes and ears for Kortu; she trained the girls, told them never to look another pimp in the eye and to get the money first, before sex...If she saw the girls sitting on a curb or resting because they were tired, she called Kortu, who beat them," the anonymous investigator noted. Among their prostitutes were a 15-year-old; Wilcox was arrested and charged with rape, while Kortu is still at large.
A third ring was run by Tenisha Sanders, her cousin, Bernadette Mosely, and her son, Eric Sanders, who were all charged with sex trafficking. They also recruited and abused a 15-year-old who was reportedly having troubles at home; the teen moved in with the Sanders family, only to be forced into prostituting herself (and was forced to have sex with Eric). According to the investigator, "Bernadette Mosely took her to the dates that were arranged via the Internet," on sites such as Craigslist and Backpage.com, and beaten and threatened into submission if she balked. The fourth ring uncovered was run by Bloods members Lathaniel McCoy and Kareem Clark, which operated out of the Imperial Hotel at 2550 East New York Ave., and also had a 15-year-old working for them. All eight accused of sex trafficking face up to 25 years in prison.
Tagged
bloods
gangs
pimps
prostitutes
sex trafficking
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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