Two Brooklyn men face sex trafficking charges accusing them of forcing a 16-year-old girl and a 23-year-old woman into prostitution, authorities said.
Kadeem Moore, 18, and Francois Cousins, 22, both of West 23rd Street, were indicted on multiple charges accusing them of "enslaving" the two victims over a three-month period beginning in January, according to Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown.
The teenage victim contacted the older woman on Facebook and the two agreed to meet at a Long Island City hotel, where they encountered Moore, who was the older woman's pimp, Brown said. After that meeting, Moore and Cousins forced the two women to work for them as prostitutes, he said.
On one occasion the teen attempted to escape, but Moore hit and choked her, the indictment alleges.
In February, the older woman called 911 and reported that she had the teen were being held captive as prostitutes, according to investigators. When police responded, the two victims were gone.
An undercover officer, responding to a website ad for prostitution, located the two victims at a hotel in Jamaica, Queens, the indictment says.
Bail was set at $500,000 for Moore and $600,000 for Cousins. They face up to 25 years in prison, if convicted, Brown said.
Local
Information was unavailable on whether the two defendants had secured a lawyer who could comment on the charges.
