3 East New Yorkers Charged In Alleged Prostitution Ring

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — An East New York man, his girlfriend and another woman were charged Monday in Brooklyn District court for allegedly promoting three girls between the ages of 13 and 17 as prostitutes, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office announced. Keisia Atkins, 29, Mercedes Jones, 19, and Whetsel Wade, 45, were arraigned Monday, the Brooklyn DA's office said.

According to the investigation, Wade posted photos of underage girls on Backpage.com, a version of Craigslist, next to ads for escorts multiple times between August and November 2016. He drove the girls to hotels or private apartments so men who paid could have sex with them, and he invited men over to his East New York apartment to have sex with the prostitutes, the investigation said. Police found out about the operation when they received a call on Nov. 14, 2016 and found a 17-year-old girl in Wade's basement, court documents show.

Jones was accused of promoting all three victims as prostitutes, and Atkins was accused of helping to promote the youngest victim when she turned 14, the Brooklyn DA's office said. Atkins was held on $5,000 bail, Jones on $25,000 and Wade with no bail, according to the Brooklyn DA's office. Wade's next court date is set for March 1 and Jones' is Feb 3.

"These defendants allegedly profited off of three troubled and vulnerable young women. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and a good time to reaffirm this office’s commitment to protecting victims who are demeaned and dehumanized by defendants such as those charged in this indictment," said Acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

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