Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Child

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Prison for Sex Trafficking of a Child

Fifteen-Year-Old Victim was Approached on Harlem Street, Lured to Brooklyn

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that an East New York man has been sentenced to eight years in prison following his guilty plea to sex trafficking of a child for the trafficking of a 15-year-old girl. The defendant's wife pleaded guilty in connection to the case earlier this year.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "This young victim showed tremendous courage in coming forward after enduring horrific exploitation. The defendant's actions were cruel, manipulative, and deeply damaging, stealing a child's sense of safety for his own gain. Today's sentence delivers justice for her and reaffirms our commitment to protecting vulnerable young people from predators who traffic and abuse them. My office will continue to stand with survivors and hold traffickers fully accountable for the pain they cause."
The District Attorney identified the defendants as Daryl Hicks, 40, and Michelle Wicks, 33, of East New York, Brooklyn. Hicks was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to eight years in prison and five years of post-release supervision. He must register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. He pleaded guilty to the top count of sex trafficking of a child on August 6, 2025. Wicks pleaded guilty to second-degree promoting prostitution and fourth-degree promoting prostitution on April 11, 2025. As a condition of her plea, she will be able to withdraw her felony plea upon completion of the Women's Prison Association Program.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between November 20, 2022 and December 30, 2022, the defendants met the 15-year-old victim and induced her to engage in acts of prostitution. The victim was approached by Hicks in Harlem and told by him "you could be working for me" and "I could put money in your pocket."

The defendants actively posted the victim's photo on escort websites and arranged "dates" for her at various locations in Brooklyn. They instructed her on what sexual services to offer, how much to charge, and how to communicate with customers.

Hicks engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim on Christmas Day in 2022, according to the investigation. Photos and videos of the victim, including videos of sexual acts with Hicks, were discovered on the defendant's cell phone.

On December 30, 2022, detectives from the Human Trafficking Squad went to the Imperial Hotel in East New York and recovered the victim inside a room registered to Hicks. She had been reported missing days earlier after reaching out to her foster mother and sending her photos.

The case was investigated by Detective Paul Mastronardi of the New York City Police Department's Human Trafficking Squad, under the supervision of Sergeant Kevin Kavanagh and Lieutenant Amy Capogna, and the overall supervision of Chief Carlos Ortiz.

The District Attorney thanked Human Trafficking Unit Office Manager Aurora Martinez and Senior Digital Forensic Analyst Taylor Mumley of the Digital Evidence Lab for their assistance on the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Mary E. Monahan, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney's Human Trafficking Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Weiss, Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the District Attorney's Special Victims Bureau.

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