Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Tuesday, June 28, that a Bronx man was charged with alleged kidnapping, sex trafficking and selling teen girls for sex, along with rape charges for the alleged attack of a 14-year-old girl.

 

According to the investigation by the NYPD and the prosecution’s case, on April 28, officers were searching for a missing 14-year-old at Hotel 95, located at 1275 Pugsley Avenue in Soundview section of The Bronx. Hotel staff informed investigators the missing teen was allegedly last seen in a hotel room with the defendant, Shamel Jones, AKA Shy, 25.

 

When they arrived at the room, officers allegedly found Jones with a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old who was not the missing teen they were initially searching for. At the scene, they recovered several phones containing naked images of the teens. The images were posted online, allegedly in an attempt by the defendant to traffic the two minors.

 

Video surveillance was also recovered allegedly showing the original, missing 14-year-old, allegedly entering the hotel with Jones and the two girls found by police on April 28. Jones had allegedly raped the missing 14-year-old at the hotel. She was later found by investigators.

 

Clark said in the context of the announcement, “The defendant allegedly raped a 14-year-old and trafficked at least two other teenagers in a Bronx hotel. Thanks to the work of 43^rd Precinct officers and the NYPD Human Trafficking Squad, multiple young girls were saved from the vicious cycle of trafficking.”

 

Clark said Jones was arraigned on Monday, June 27, on first-degree kidnapping, sex trafficking of a child, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree promoting prostitution, third-degree promoting prostitution, sex trafficking of a child, second-degree promoting prostitution, two counts of third-degree promoting prostitution, second-degree kidnapping and attempted sex trafficking of a child, second-degree rape, third-degree rape, and two counts of a third-degree criminal sexual act before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. He was remanded in custody, and is due back in court on June 29.

Earlier this month, we reported how a Bronx male sex offender, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2022, had been released on bail in January 2021 despite having been hit, as a co-defendant, just four months earlier with 22 charges, including sex trafficking of a child and promoting prostitution and separately, for rape, a criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment, and attempted strangulation. Upon release on bail, he attempted to traffic a previous victim and was rearrested the following month.

 

Norwood News also reported in 2020 on a sex trafficking operation by Bloods gang members in various Bronx motels and again, in 2021, we also reported on how three Bronx men and a woman were charged separately with sex trafficking of a child and other charges linked to sex trafficking operations which took place in various Bronx hotels.

 

Freedom Youth NYC is a Bronx-based nonprofit that works with victims and survivors of sex trafficking and domestic violence, as reported. Following the announcement that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law, on June 23, new legislation requiring schools to consider installing a silent, panic-alarm system to assist in the event of a mass shooting, Monique Riley of Freedom Youth NYC called for similar legislation to be enacted for sex trafficking victims, imprisoned in hotels, saying, “Can we get the same innovation for hotels and motels and Ubers for sex trafficked victims trapped in the life?”

 

Norwood News has reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the suggestion.

 

Also, on Tuesday, the NY Daily News reported that Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice of convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, who died in custody in Brooklyn, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the sex trafficking of girls.

 

The latest case involving Jones was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Johnathan Vega and Angelique Floyd of the human trafficking unit under the supervision of Stephen Knoepfler, chief of the human trafficking unit.

 

Clark thanked case discovery analyst, Jessica Walmsley, and intelligence analyst, Kayla Beltran, for their assistance in the case, as well as digital forensics examiner, Ashley Hinkson, and video unit supervisor, Joao D’Alessandro.

 

Clark thanked NYPD Detective Denis Regimbal and Lieutenant Amy Capogna from the NYPD human trafficking squad and NYPD Detective Antonio Pagan, formerly of the NYPD human trafficking squad and currently assigned to the Joint NYPD FBI child exploitation human trafficking task force, for their work on the investigation.

 

A person accused and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

The Bronx District Attorney’s office works with victims of sex trafficking to offer help and support. They can be reached at (718) 838 7185. A specially trained unit is available to assist you. If you can, call 911 if you are in immediate danger.

 

Alternatively, if you are being trafficked ​or suspect trafficking activity ​in your area, please call the ​National Human Trafficking ​Resource Center Hotline ​at ​1-888-373-7888 ​or Text “Be Free” to 233733.​

 

Editor’s Note: Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet. It also identifies and rescues victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.