A Flatbush man was indicted on Wednesday in the sex trafficking of two teenage girls.
Hakeem Bennett, 24, of Flatbush, Brooklyn is facing a 10-count indictment in which he is charged with sex trafficking of a child, promoting prostitution and related charges for the alleged sex trafficking of two teens, ages 15 and 17.
“We allege that this defendant took advantage of two vulnerable young girls, trafficking them for money in exchange for sex. I am committed to rescuing and protecting our at-risk children and teens from predators who seek to abuse and exploit them,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
According to the investigation, on Sept. 30, 2019, the New York City Police Department received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the possible sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl after an initial tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Then on Oct. 3, 2019, an undercover officer responded to an escort advertisement provided by the FBI, which included photographs of three girls, including the missing 17-year-old and the 15-year-old.
The undercover officer, allegedly called the phone number provided in the ad and engaged in a conversation with a woman regarding sex for money which led him to an address on East 29th Street in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
When the officer arrived at the location, he was allegedly met by a different female from the one over the phone, a 15-year-old, who brought him to a house where he met with Bennett and the 17-year-old and another, unidentified woman.
The undercover cop and the defendant allegedly agreed that the defendant would pay $250 to have sex with the 15-year-old and the 17-year-old.
Then as the cop, the defendant and the two girls began to walk down the street to a location Bennett agreed to make available for the encounter, he was apprehended by the undercover’s field team.
According to the investigation, the 24-year-old defendant had been sex trafficking both teens for several weeks by posting his phone number in escort advertisements and the pretending to be the girl when customers called.
Bennett would then dispatch the victims to an agreed upon location, after telling them what to do and how much to charge, to meet the customer. In some instances, it is alleged, the defendant had the customers send the money directly to him via payments apps.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Anna Federico, of the Human Trafficking Unit, and Assistant District Attorney David Weiss, Deputy Unit Chief, under the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau.
