BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Eight individuals have been indicted in Brooklyn on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges involving four minors and one adult victim, following a multi-state investigation into an alleged trafficking operation that extended from New York to North Carolina, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the defendants — six men and two women — are variously charged in a 19-count superseding indictment and a separate five-count indictment with crimes including sex trafficking of a child, conspiracy, and promoting prostitution. The charges stem from alleged activities between 2022 and 2025.
“Today’s indictments are the result of a continuing investigation into an allegedly widespread, multi-state sex trafficking ring,” Gonzalez said. “Further investigation revealed the alleged involvement of three additional defendants and two additional minor victims.”
Multiple minors allegedly trafficked in Brooklyn and North Carolina
The defendants include Mylord Williams, 26, of the Bronx; Terrel Chery, 27, of Nassau County; Kinard Oliver, 27; Layquan Highsmith, 30; Tyshawn Crawford, 29; Richard Baker, 45; and Eyecess Chapman, 24 — all of Brooklyn — along with Ronasia Robinson, 31, of Troy, New York. Chery and Williams are charged in a separate indictment with sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl in Crown Heights between July and October 2022.
Prosecutors said Williams rented two rooms in East New York, where he and Chery allegedly posted ads for commercial sex and collected all earnings made by the minor victim.
Another investigation was launched in November 2024, after a 19-year-old woman in Wilmington, North Carolina, contacted 911 and reported being forced into prostitution in both states. She identified five individuals involved in the trafficking operation.
Defendants face wide-ranging charges across multiple incidents
Authorities allege that Williams, Chery, Oliver, Highsmith, Crawford, and Robinson participated in a broader conspiracy to traffic multiple minors between 2024 and 2025. Specific incidents include:
- Williams and Oliver allegedly trafficking a 17-year-old girl in Brooklyn beginning in February 2024. NYPD intervened after the girl texted a friend asking for help.
- In October 2024, Chery, Oliver, and Robinson allegedly transported two minors — ages 15 and 16 — to North Carolina for prostitution.
- Later that month, Chery allegedly transferred the 15-year-old to Highsmith after complaints about her earnings. Highsmith, Robinson, and Crawford then allegedly brought the girl and others back to North Carolina to continue the trafficking.
Law enforcement investigation ongoing
Chery was arraigned Tuesday and remanded without bail. Williams and Oliver were arraigned Wednesday. Oliver was held on $100,000 bail or $1 million bond. All are due back in court on August 13, 2025.
The case was led by NYPD Detective Kevin Deleon and retired Detective James Rufle of the FBI-NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with support from the Brooklyn DA’s Office and NYPD’s Human Trafficking Squad.
Eight people are facing major charges after allegedly running a trafficking ring targeting teens across Brooklyn and North Carolina.
