Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced yesterday that Alfredo Morocho has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges after targeting and exploiting a migrant teenager for prostitution. Morocho arranged encounters between the teen and paying customers at various locations throughout Queens, profiting from her exploitation over several months. He pocketed the money earned from these encounters and also paid the teen for sexual services himself.
Morocho’s guilty plea is a critical step in addressing the exploitation of vulnerable young people in the community, as authorities continue to crack down on trafficking and protect survivors.
District Attorney Katz said, “This defendant brazenly trafficked an underage child around Queens County and made money off her degrading sexual encounters. He exploited a child and will now serve eight years in prison. My office is dedicated to eradicating sex trafficking in our communities, and we stand with the survivors as we dismantle this harmful industry.”
About the Case:
Morocho, 38, of 110th Street in Corona, pleaded guilty before Justice Peter Vallone, Jr. to two counts of sex trafficking of a child, five counts of promoting prostitution in the second and third degrees, and two counts of patronizing a person in prostitution in the third degree. Morocho was also charged in a criminal complaint with bail jumping in the second degree after failing to appear in court after a 2018 arrest. The defendant is expected to receive a sentence of eight years in prison on October 24, 2024. The Queens District Attorney’s Office recommended a sentence of twelve years in prison.
According to the charges in the indictment:
Morocho met the victim and her friends at a deli in Jamaica in November 2023. Despite knowing she was underage, he assured her he could find customers. Shortly after, Morocho requested semi-nude photos of the victim to send to potential clients.
From December 1 to March 5, Morocho regularly picked the teen up from her migrant shelter, driving her to an apartment in Corona and various other locations where she was forced to engage in sex for money. Customers paid Morocho directly, and he kept control of the cash, only giving the victim half of the earnings at the end of the day.
On top of profiting from her exploitation, Morocho himself paid for sex with the victim during this period, worsening the abuse she suffered.
On March 6, Morocho arrived with the victim at the Renaissance New York Flushing Hotel at Tangram. Upon arriving, Morocho met with an undercover officer to negotiate the price of sex with the victim and was placed under arrest shortly thereafter.
Morocho was in possession of a business card advertising “in-calls” with a phone number linked to hundreds of online prostitution advertisements.
