Sicko pimp bust
2 teens held as sex slaves, 4 other kids in B’klyn apt.
TWO 16-YEAR-OLD girls were forced into prostitution in a Brooklyn apartment where younger children were living, police sources said Monday.
A 21-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were arrested Saturday after one of the victims escaped the Crown Heights rental on Lincoln Place and ran home.
The victim then told cops she had been in captivity for about a month and pointed police to the lair.
When cops got there, they found a second victim being held against her will.
She told police she had also been forced to sell her body.
Four kids — girls 14 and 8 and boys 13 and 7 — were also there. They were not considered victims, but their mother was not home, and police are trying to determine what connection, if any, the family has to the suspects.
Sources also said police arrested four other adults there, but the cases were later sealed, suggesting there was not enough evidence to charge them with a crime.
The suspects, Denina Roman, 21, and Taymel Harris, 20, were charged with sex trafficking, sexual misconduct, acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17, unlawful imprisonment and promoting prostitution.
They were ordered held on 50,000 bail. Their lawyers could not be located for comment.
Sources said the girl who fled the apartment (door photo inset) attended an event on or around June 21 that was sponsored by the city Administration for Children’s Services, and then was taken by a woman to the apartment, where she was handed over to Roman.
According to court papers, Roman threatened to beat the victim if she tried to leave. Both she and the other victim, the papers said, were forced to strip to their bras and panties and pose for pictures that were placed in ads on backpage.com.
The girl who escaped was forced to have sex with about eight men her first day as a prostitute, then about 10 men each day after that, the papers said. The other girl had sex with a total of three men.
An ACS spokesman, Jose Bayona, said it did not appear that the agency had an event on June 21 but that officials are still investigating.
“Sexual exploitation of children in New York City is a special concern to ACS, as many of the children who come to our attention are vulnerable,” Bayona said.
“We continue to build on our efforts to serve children and youth and prevent trafficking with various initiatives.”
At the apartment Monday, a neighbor across the hall, Tasha Daniely, 41, said the sight of children coming in and out was no surprise — but the allegations of teen sex trafficking were.
“That’s terrible,” she said. “I wouldn’t want that to happen to nobody. I’m a female first. There’s so many crazy things going on in this world, but that’s really unusual and that’s really close.”
The building superintendent, meanwhile, said he couldn’t talk much because he didn’t want to interfere with the investigation, but he did confirm that police told him about the prostitution.