D.A. Bragg Announces Sentencing In Child Sex Trafficking Trial Conviction

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the sentencing of WALTER MELVIN, a/k/a "Laron," 31, to 20 years in state prison with 15 years post-release supervision for trafficking a 15-year-old girl and attempting to traffick a 16-year-old girl. MELVIN was convicted by a New York State Supreme Court jury on August 21, 2025, of Sex Trafficking, Sex Trafficking of a Child and Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child. He was also convicted of two counts of Bribing a Witness and one count each of Tampering with a Witness in the Fourth Degree, Conspiracy in the Firth Degree, and Conspiracy in the Sixth Degree.

"Walter Melvin was convicted by a Manhattan jury of trafficking a 15-year-old girl and attempting to traffick a 16-year-old girl and will now serve a significant prison sentence for his crimes against these children," said District Attorney Bragg. "Even after he was arrested, Melvin continued to harass and bribe these young survivors in an effort to evade responsibility for his horrific actions. I thank the jury for its careful consideration of the evidence in this case, and my office's prosecutors for ensuring accountability for those who profit off of the abuse of children."

As proven at trial, in September of 2022, MELVIN met a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl in Times Square and lured them back to his New Jersey apartment with the promise of drugs. He began to traffick the 15-year-old girl, including creating advertisements for commercial sex, communicating with the men who answered them, and arranging for them to come to his apartment to have sex with her. When the child left the apartment or failed to do what he wanted, MELVIN abused her verbally and physically. On one occasion, after she attempted to leave because MELVIN had beaten her, he worked with another individual to trick her into returning to his apartment where he continued to traffick her.

MELVIN attempted to recruit the 16-year-old to work in prostitution as well through text messages, phone calls, and verbal and sexual abuse. The 16-year-old child eventually fled home after refusing to give in to his demands.

After MELVIN was arrested, he conspired with another individual to tamper with and bribe both of the survivors to refuse to cooperate and to lie to law enforcement about his involvement, using an offer of a safe place to stay as a ruse. MELVIN repeatedly tried to contact both survivors directly and through third parties to determine if they would be testifying at trial and to convince them to either fail to appear or to testify falsely for his benefit.

Assistant D.A. Courtney Razner (Deputy Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit) and Assistant D.A. Kaitlyn Laurie (IPSV) handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Jonathon Junig (Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit) and Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division). Investigators Sean Ryan and Ariela DaSilva and Analysts Shae Monette, Abigail Presti, Nina Huang, Margaret Murphy, and Rackell Carrasco Reyes provided assistance, as did former Analysts Janine Nassar and Mary LeSeur.

D.A. Bragg thanked Detectives Latasha Carter and Joseph Azevedo of the NYPD, and the NYC Department of Correction, the Paterson Police Department and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, especially Detective Sergeant Daniel Fontana.

Defendant Information:

WALTER MELVIN

Patterson, New Jersey

Convicted:

• Sex Trafficking of a Child, a class B felony, one count
• Sex Trafficking, a class B felony, one count
• Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child, a class C felony, one count
• Bribing a Witness, a class D felony, two counts
• Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree, a class A misdemeanor, two counts
• Tampering with a witness in the Fourth Degree, a class A misdemeanor, one count
• Conspiracy in the Sixth Degree, a class B misdemeanor, one count

Sentenced:

• 20 years in state prison
• 15 years post-release supervision

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