19 Charged With Sex Trafficking Of Minor Girls

Nineteen people have been charged with participating in sex trafficking of minor girls and young women, including some who lived in a Westchester County social welfare facility. Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Thursday the unsealing of five indictments and three superseding indictments charging a total of 19 individuals with trafficking or recruiting to engage in prostitution at least 15 minor girls who were in the child welfare system.

That includes at least nine minors who resided at a non-incarceration residential treatment facility in Westchester County.

The facility, which was not named by Berman, provides housing for at-risk and troubled children and adolescents on behalf of social welfare departments for some counties in the state.

Eight of the 19 charged defendants were arrested Wednesday, two are in state custody on unrelated charges, and eight others were previously charged.

The defendants, all of whom live in New York City, were identified as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into sex trafficking of minor victims in the social welfare system. Some of the victims were as young as 13 years old.

Conduct charged in the eight separate indictments occurred between 2010 and 2018.

Berman said that children in the child welfare system are among the most vulnerable in our society.

"As alleged in today's charges, the defendants and their conspirators callously recruited girls as young as 13 from a residential treatment facility for at-risk youth, then sexually trafficked and prostituted them for financial profit. Together with our partners in the FBI, we will work tirelessly to ensure that anyone who sexually traffics a minor is subject to the full force of the law," he said.

The 11 newly charged defendants are Carlton Vanier, 26, Ruben Morciglio, 31, Saeed Norris, 24, Lloyd Kidd, 28, Luidji Benjamin, 22, Lawrence Walsh, 25, Cimmie Wright, 24, Adrienne Roberts, 59, Christopher Bullock, 36, Dariel Braham, 45, and Steven Lesane, 31.

Superseding indictments were unsealed against Hubert Dupigny, 34, Hensley Dupigny, 29, Nazeer Vickers, 36, Sean Merchant, 31, Reuben Sands, 59, Martique McGriff, 30, Jermaine Myrie, 34, and Jabari Kennedy, 26. They were first charged in the summer of 2018 for their participating in the trafficking of minor victims and young women.

To see all charges and possible maximum sentences, go here.

If you believe you are the victim of a similar crime, or if you have information concerning the exploitation of children, contact the FBI at 212-384-1000 or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/.

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