East New York couple charged with forcing a 15-year-old girl into prostitution

March 1, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the charges against a Brooklyn couple accused of pimping out a 15-year-old girl.
Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle

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A couple in their thirties, living in East New York, were indicted on Wednesday with charges related to the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl, the District Attorney’s Office announced.

The couple, Daryl Hicks, 38, and Michelle Wicks, 31, face a 22-count indictment, including sex trafficking of a child, promoting prostitution and third-degree rape, among other charges. The case came to light after the victim reached out to her foster mother, leading to police intervention and the subsequent rescue of the teenager.

“I am committed to rescuing and protecting our at-risk teens from those who seek to harm and exploit them,” Gonzalez said. “Luckily, this victim was located by police after reaching out to her foster mother. We will now seek to bring these defendants to justice.”

Prosecutors allege that between Nov. 20, 2022, and Dec. 30, 2022, the defendants engaged in the sex trafficking of the girl. She was reportedly approached by Hicks in Harlem, where she was enticed with promises of money and subsequently lured to Brooklyn. The couple are accused of managing and profiting from the victim’s involvement in prostitution, including posting advertisements on escort websites and arranging meetings in Brooklyn.

It is also alleged that Hicks had sexual relations with the girl on Dec. 25, 2022. The DA’s Office claims to have evidence including photos and videos of the victim, which was found on Hicks’s cell phone. On Dec. 30, 2022, law enforcement officers located and recovered the victim from a hotel room registered to Hicks after she had been reported missing and had reached out to her foster mother with photographs.

Hicks was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun and ordered to be held without bail, pending his next court appearance on March 13. Wicks was arraigned on Dec. 7, 2023, and was released without bail.

The case is being prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit, with Senior Assistant District Attorney Mary Monahan leading the prosecution.