Huntington Station Woman Charged With Sex Trafficking 14-Year-Old: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A 41-year-old woman and 52-year-old man, both Huntington Station residents, were indicted in connection with sex trafficking a 14-year-old girl, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said on Friday.

The woman trafficked the 14-year-old daughter of her domestic partner and forced her to engage in sexual acts in exchange for cash, the DA said.

The DA is not identifying the defendants to protect the girl's identity.

"This child victim was allegedly sold for sex by a parental figure," Tierney said in a news release. "No child should ever be subjected to the horrors of sex trafficking, let alone for a financial gain of an adult that they look to for security and live. Holding sex buyers and human traffickers accountable for creating the demand that fuels the exploitation of children is important, in order to eradicate this scourge from our community."

The woman began dating the victim's mother in 2019 and regularly stayed at her apartment, where she lived with three children, including the 14-year-old victim, the DA said.

The woman who the DA said trafficked the girl regularly watched her and her siblings while their mother was at work.

During these times, the man, who was friends with the woman, began stopping by the apartment, authorities said. Both the man and woman engaged in grooming behaviors such as talking to the teenager about engaging in sex with the man, prosecutors said.

In November 2019, while the girl's mother was at work, the then-49-year-old man picked the girl up from the apartment and brought her to a motel in Huntington, where he raped her, investigators said. After, he gave the girl cash, and told her to give the money to the female defendant, officials said.

The woman sold the girl to the man for sex at least three more times over the course of the next year; when the victim was between 14 and 15 years old, the DA said. Each time, the woman arranged for the man to take the girl to the same motel, where he would force her into sexual acts and then pay the woman, prosecutors said.

Each incident happened while the woman was caring for the girl and her siblings while their mother was at work, the DA said.

The girl disclosed the sexual abuse to a counselor in August 2022 after one of her younger siblings told her they were also approached by the woman about engaging in similar sexual activity with the man, investigators said.

When the teenager learned that her sibling was in danger, she told the counselor about the sexual abuse to protect her sibling, officials said.

The man and woman were arrested on Sept. 13.

The woman was charged with four counts of sex trafficking of a child, two counts of first-degree promoting prostitution, and two counts of second-degree promoting prostitution.

The man was charged with two counts of second-degree rape, six counts of second-degree criminal sexual act, two counts of second-degree aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution, three counts of third-degree rape, five counts of third-degree criminal sexual act, three counts of third-degree aggravated patronizing a minor for prostitution, and six counts of third-degree sexual abuse.

The woman on Friday was ordered held on $250K cash, $500K bond, or $2.5 million partially-secured bond while her case is decided. She is due back in court on Nov. 21 and is represented by Scott Zerner.

On Sept. 14 at the man's arraignment on the felony complaint, the Attorney’s Office requested he be held on $500K cash, $750K bond or $1 million partially-secured bond. However, District Court Judge Bernard C. Cheng ordered the man released and placed him on supervised release with the probation department over the district attorney’s objection, the DA said.

The man is due back in court on Oct. 17. He is being represented by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County.