Convicted Pimp Sentenced in Queens

By STEVEN FERRARO & JON REMACHE

A Brooklyn man was sentenced to a minimum of three years and a maximum of six years in prison for holding two women, 16 and 23, and forcing them to prostitute themselves for three months before he was caught in an online sting conducted by police officers.

Kadeem Moore received a reduced sentence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking. He originally faced 25 years to life. Moore was arrested in March 2015 with his accomplice, Francois Cousins, for using verbal and physical violence to force the two captives into sex acts for money – money that Moore pocketed.

According to many reports, the 16-year-old girl met the 23-year-old woman via Facebook in January 2015 and arranged to meet at the Days Inn Hotel in Long Island City. When she arrived, the 16-year-old was introduced to Moore and both were forced into prostitution.

Both victims tried to escape captivity and failed many times. The 16-year-old tried to escape and was hit and choked by Moore, court records showed. This did not deter the victims as the older woman called 911 during one date with a man and told the dispatcher that she and the teen were being forced into sex acts, but when police responded, the two were nowhere to be found.

The call prompted local police to explore the darker corners of the internet. After finding advertisements for the victims, an undercover sting operation was arranged. When an undercover officer arrived at a designated room in a hotel in Jamaica, Queens, the two agreed on a deal where the officer would pay the victim $120 in exchange for sex, leading to the arrest.

Moore, 20, was handed his sentence, along with the requirement to register as a sex offender, at the Queens Boulevard courthouse. He appeared in the court in front of his family, who were delighted to find out from his lawyer that Moore was reading a book – “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.” Moore nodded and blew a kiss to them as he walked into the courtroom. After he was sentenced, he mouthed “I love you,” to his mother.