Detective Pleads Guilty in Child Prostitution Case

Accused of Pimping Out 13-Year-Old,
Pleads Guilty to Attempted Kidnapping

by Conor Greene

A NYPD detective accused of pimping out a 13-year-old runaway has pled guilty to attempted kidnapping, announced Queens
District Attorney Richard Brown.

Wayne Taylor, 35, who was a 14-year-member of the NYPD, and Zelika Brown, who helped run the sex ring and claimed to be his wife, pleaded guilty to the reduced charge last Thursday. They had been accused of buying a girl who had runaway from her Brooklyn home and then pimping her out at parties throughout the city, including at the Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson hotels near JFK Airport.

“These guilty pleas bring to resolution a nightmarish case in which a New York City Police detective – who is sworn to serve and protect the community – was instead accused of helping to prostitute a troubled young child who had run away from home,” said Brown. “The guilty pleas will save the victim from having to testify and recount the horrific situation that she endured.”

As part of the plea agreement, Taylor and Brown, 29, of Jamaica admitted to second-degree attempted kidnapping before Queens Criminal Court Judge Pauline Mullings. They both face three-and-a-half years in prison when sentenced on August 4, and Taylor resigned from the police force as part of the plea agreement, according to DA Brown.

Police believe the incident began when ran away and met a woman named “Drama” who offered to get her into the business of dancing for money at parties. The girl was then sold to Taylor and Brown, who forced her to charge $40 to men for oral sex and $80 for intercourse, according to the charges. She was told to say she was 19 years old if asked and was forced to perform sexual acts on about 20 men at parties over two weeks in January.

At one point, Taylor slammed the victim’s head into the ground because she did not earn enough money, according to the DA. Taylor told her there was an alarm on the Vaswani Avenue house she was kept in and that he would know if she tried to escape. He also threatened to make her walk the streets to earn extra money if she was unable to make enough to pay off the $500 they paid for her.

The couple was initially charged with kidnapping, promoting prostitution, assault and endangering the welfare of a child and faced up to 25 years in prison when they reached the plea agreement with the district attorney’s office.

The Howard Johnson at 153-95 Rockaway Boulevard, allegedly used by Taylor and Brown, was nearly shut down by authorities in March after police arrested six individuals there, including a pimp and several hotel clerks. Under cops posing as prostitutes and hookers witnessed illegal activity there after staking it out for several months, according to authorities.