TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that a Jersey City man pleaded
guilty today to running a major human trafficking
and prostitution ring in which women were
induced to use heroin and cocaine and were
beaten if they did not turn a daily quota
of tricks.
According
to Director Taylor, Allen Brown, a.k.a.
“Prince,” 48, of Jersey City,
pleaded guilty today to first-degree racketeering
and second-degree theft by extortion before
Superior Court Judge Kevin G. Callahan in
Hudson County. Under the plea agreement,
the state will recommend that he be sentenced
to 20 years in state prison, including 12
years and nine months of parole ineligibility.
The charges were contained in an Aug. 7,
2009 indictment.
In
pleading guilty, Brown admitted that he
used violence and drugs to control women
and force them to engage in prostitution.
He further admitted that he extorted money
from one victim who received an inheritance
from her family estate, making threats against
her and her family to force her to turn
over the money. The charges resulted from
“Operation Red Light,” an investigation
by the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs
& Organized Crime Bureau and the Jersey
City Police Department. Previously, four
other defendants in the case pleaded guilty.
Brown
faces consecutive sentences under the plea
agreement of 12 years on the racketeering
charge, including six years of parole ineligibility,
and eight years on the extortion charge,
including six years and nine months of parole
ineligibility. Judge Callahan scheduled
sentencing for Brown for May 19.
The
plea agreement also calls for Brown’s
mother, Tecora P. Brown, 73, of Bayonne,
to plead guilty on April 19 to third-degree
promoting prostitution. She faces probation.
“This
guilty plea ensures that the defendant will
serve a lengthy prison sentence,”
said Attorney General Dow. “Allen
Brown liked to call himself ‘Prince,’
but he was the antithesis of a prince, using
narcotics, violence and coercion to keep
young women enslaved in a life of prostitution.
We have put an end to his reign of human
exploitation.”
“One
by one, we are bringing those responsible
to justice for this tragic case of forced
prostitution,” said Criminal Justice
Director Taylor. “The five guilty
pleas taken to date, and particularly this
plea from the ringleader, are a testament
to the outstanding cooperative investigation
conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice
and the Jersey City Police Department.”
“I
would like to commend all of the individuals
involved in taking down this dangerous man
who preyed on women,” said Jersey
City Police Chief Thomas Comey. “Allen
Brown, aka ‘Prince,’ was a leader
in a human trafficking enterprise that law
enforcement was able to infiltrate and dismantle.
Mr. Brown will no longer be a predator on
our streets.”
Deputy
Attorney General Annmarie Taggart took the
guilty plea for the Division of Criminal
Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.
The
investigation was conducted for the Division
of Criminal Justice by Detective Noelle
Holl, Deputy Attorney General Taggart, Supervising
Deputy Attorney General Lauren Scarpa Yfantis,
and the Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau
North Squad. They worked cooperatively with
the Jersey City Police Department. The investigation
was conducted for the Jersey City Police
Department by Capt. Gary Lallo and the Special
Investigation Unit. Detective Mike Kurinzi
of the Elizabeth Police Department provided
critical assistance.
The
investigation revealed that for nearly two
decades, Brown ran prostitution rings in
Jersey City, coercing scores of women to
prostitute for him. Through the years, Brown
had residences that served as “stables”
in a number of locations in Jersey City,
where he would hold women brought from other
cities. He brought women from cities including
Camden, Atlantic City, Elizabeth, Newark
and Philadelphia. His last location was
18 Lyon Court in Jersey City, an upscale
condo development on Newark Bay in the Society
Hill section of the city.
Once
the women went with Brown, he would take
away their cell phones and any form of identification
they possessed. A number of the locations
where they were housed had reverse locks
on them that could not be unlocked from
the inside without a key. Only a select
few had a key. The others would be locked
in until it was time to work again. None
of the women were allowed to go anywhere
alone or without permission.
The
women forced to prostitute for Brown were
given heroin and cocaine so Brown could
control them and exploit their addiction.
They were driven to “tracks”
– motels or streets in Jersey City
and sometimes locations in other cities
– where they were expected to make
a certain amount of money each night turning
tricks to cover their daily drug debt and
provide a profit for Brown. If they did
not make the daily quota, ranging from $500-$1,000,
they were refused drugs, beaten or denied
entry into the house until the money was
made.
Brown
collected all money and ordered subordinates
to secure and control the women. On July
28, 2009, the woman who acted as boss over
the women for Brown, Annie Cooper, a.k.a.
“China,” 41, of Jersey City,
pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering.
The state will recommend a prison sentence
of five to 10 years when she is sentenced
on April 16.
The
enterprise included subordinates responsible
for transporting the women to work as prostitutes,
obtaining drugs for the women, maintaining
the household and vehicles, and securing
the women. Three men were indicted for those
activities: Anthony Evans, 52, of Jersey
City; Brown’s nephew, Arthur Brown,
38, of Jersey City; and Jerome Robinson,
31, of Newark.
Arthur
Brown previously pleaded guilty to third-degree
promoting prostitution. The state will recommend
a sentence of five years in prison. His
sentencing is scheduled for May 5. Anthony
Evans also pleaded guilty to third-degree
promoting prostitution. The state will recommend
that he be sentenced to four years in state
prison. His sentencing is scheduled for
April 16.
Over
the years, Allen Brown made hundreds of
thousands of dollars, which he used to furnish
his home, purchase jewelry, buy vehicles,
and purchase drugs. The ring also included
individuals who laundered the criminal proceeds
through various financial transactions.
Frequently Brown used family members and
friends to act as the legitimate holder
of vehicle titles, real property leases,
cash and other property that he paid for
with criminal proceeds. Those people included
his niece, Tecora L. Brown, 35, of Jersey
City, and Marlo Taylor, 39, of Newark.
Tecora
L. Brown previously pleaded guilty to third-degree
money laundering. She faces a sentence of
probation. Her sentencing is scheduled for
May 5.
The
charges against Jerome Robinson and Marlo
Taylor are pending.
Brown,
Cooper and Evans were arrested on Sept.
12, 2008, when detectives from the Division
of Criminal Justice and Jersey City Police
executed a search warrant at 18 Lyon Court.
Arthur Brown was also charged that day.
Director
Taylor noted that the Division of Criminal
Justice has established a toll-free Human
Trafficking Hotline 1-877-986-7534
for the public and law enforcement
that is open 24/7 to receive reports of
suspected human trafficking. All information
received through the hotline will remain
confidential.
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