Six Men Charged in Federal Court For Sex Trafficking Underage Girls

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Six New York men are facing sex trafficking charges after being indicted in federal court Thursday.

Nashean Folds, David Hightower, Gregory Luck, Tremain Moore, Corey Roper, and Antwone Washington have all been charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, sex trafficking of minors, and conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce and use facilities in interstate commerce to promote sex trafficking, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of New York. Roper was also charged with a February 2016 kidnapping.

“The six defendants in this case allegedly trafficked minors for the purpose of using them as sex workers. The defendants’ alleged crime is particularly insidious in that they selected the victims specifically because of their vulnerable nature and their inability to fend for themselves," said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. "This office, along with our law enforcement partners at the FBI and NYPD, will continue to find, investigate and prosecute those engaged in sex trafficking.”

The six men started their trafficking ring in February 2015 and trafficked at least four underage girls, officials said. Two of the men, Hightower and Moore, were arrested June 13, and three, Luck, Folds and Roper, were arrested Wednesday. As of Thursday, Washington is still at large. Hightower and Moore were arrested in Athens, Georgia, after bringing three girls to the area to promote their sex trafficking ring, officials said.

Folds is from Staten Island, and the other five alleged sex traffickers are from Queens. All six of the men are facing life in prison, the maximum penalty for sex trafficking. The charge of sex trafficking of a minor come with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.

"These men allegedly knew exactly how to manipulate the girls in this case, and used their vulnerabilities against them so the subjects could make some cash," said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners are out every day and night doing all we can to track down the victims and stop the pimps from moving on to their next targets."

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