- A married New York City couple has been accused of running a years-long sex-trafficking ring.
- Prosecutors say the pair trafficked at least eight young women, including two who were placed in the wife's foster care.
- The husband is a registered sex offender and the wife lied on her application to become a foster parent, prosecutors said.
A married New York City couple has been accused of running a years-long sex-trafficking ring that involved more than a half-dozen young women, including two who were placed in the wife's foster care — and foster agencies apparently did not notice that the husband is a registered sex-offender.
Kareem "Napoleon" Mitchell, 38, and his wife, Sharice Mitchell, 51, of the Bronx, were indicted on multiple felony charges, including sex trafficking, third-degree promoting prostitution, and fourth-degree conspiracy in connection with the alleged operation, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said Wednesday.
The husband and wife pleaded not guilty during a Wednesday appearance in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. Lawyers for the couple did not immediately return requests for comment by Insider on Thursday.
Prosecutors say that Kareem — a registered sex offender who was convicted in 2008 on federal charges for the transportation of a minor to engage in prostitution — ran the sex-trafficking operation involving at least eight women between November 2018 and February 2022.
The husband was allegedly assisted in the scheme by his wife, a certified New York State foster parent, who lied on her application to become a foster parent by claiming that she did not live with her husband, according to prosecutors.
Kareem was registered as a sex offender to her address, prosecutors said.
Two of the eight women involved in the ring were placed in Sharice's care as young adults, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said.
New York City's Administration for Children's Services (ACS), which oversees the city's child welfare system, said that state law prohibits the agency from sharing information about individual cases, but a spokesperson told Insider: "We take the safety of the children and youth entrusted to our care in New York City's foster care system extremely seriously."
"The vast majority of foster parents provide loving, safe environments," the agency spokesperson said. "We do not tolerate anyone who exploits or puts children in danger. We are immediately reviewing the allegations made by the Manhattan DA and are fully cooperating in the investigation."
According to ACS, before a home can be licensed as a foster home, the agency is required to conduct a criminal background check on all adult household members. Foster care agencies are required to conduct regular in-home casework contacts, during which they are required to assess the safety of the home and the children placed there, the agency said.
New York State's Office of Children and Family Services did not immediately return a request for comment by Insider on Thursday.
According to prosecutors, Kareem used Instagram and Facebook to recruit women to work for him and subjected them to verbal and physical abuse in order to coerce them into prostitution in cars and hotels in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.
"Sex traffickers target the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including – far too often – young New Yorkers in the child welfare system," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "Instead of providing a safe home, this husband and wife forced eight young women to engage in prostitution."
A judge remanded Kareem into custody without bail and set cash bail for Sharice at $500,000.