Brooklyn Men Forced Local Teens Into Prostitution: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — A pair of cousins from Bushwick are accused of running a sex trafficking scheme that forced multiple victims, including three teenage girls, ages 15 to 17, into prostitution, prosecutors said.

Terrence Rogers, 33, and Vashorne McClain, 28, walked into a Brooklyn courtroom Thursday, facing a slew of criminal charges.

Prosecutors allege that while Rogers was recruiting the victims into the scheme, McClain acted as Rogers' driver, picking up one of the 15-year-old victims and dropping her off at Rogers' home.

"These defendants allegedly exploited three teenage girls, recruiting them to repeatedly engage in prostitution," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "I am deeply committed to bringing to justice individuals who prey on vulnerable young people in Brooklyn, and we will now seek to hold these two defendants accountable."

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, between March and April, Rogers allegedly recruited a 15-year-old girl to engage in his prostitution scheme on multiple occasions from his apartment at Halsey Street in Bushwick.

The victim was allegedly introduced to Rogers by a fellow classmate, also 15, who was already a victim in the prostitution scheme, according to officials.

Prosecutors alleged that Rogers had been posting the 15-year-old’s photo on escort websites, advertising sexual services. He also allegedly gave her a cellphone and instructed her on how to communicate with customers and how much to charge them.

Rogers reportedly sexually assaulted the teen victim on April 12, 2024, according to the investigation.

More than a month after the assault, Rogers allegedly threatened to share a nude photo of her on Snapchat unless she continued to engage in prostitution. However, after she returned to Roger's apartment, he allegedly released the victim's nude photo on a website for sexual services before forcibly touching her.

One month later, on June 13, the victim formally reported the assault to a school social worker, who then contacted the police. This led to an undercover investigation by the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit and the New York City Police Department.

On July 3, an undercover officer responded to an online advertisement for prostitution in Brooklyn with images of the underage victims. The undercover officer called the phone number listed in the advertisement and was directed to Roger's Halsey Street apartment.

Prosecutors said that inside Roger's apartment, the undercover officer was able to make an agreement to have sex with a 22-year-old woman for $100, prompting the field team to raid the apartment.

As police arrived, Rogers was allegedly found leaving the bathroom with a 17-year-old victim, who was partially nude. The police say he was apprehended on the spot.

During the raid, authorities discovered roughly six other victims engaged in prostitution at the residence.

Rogers, who was arraigned Thursday, was charged with multiple counts of sex trafficking of a child; second-, third-, and fourth-degree promoting prostitution; third-degree rape; third-degree sexual abuse; sexual misconduct; endangering the welfare of a child; and unlawful dissemination or publication of an intimate image.

He was ordered held without bail and is scheduled to return to court on August 20, prosecutors said.

McClain was charged with sex trafficking of a child, third- and fourth-degree promoting prostitution and endangering the welfare of a child. He was released without bail and ordered to return to court on Sept. 18, Gonzalez said.