Post by thunkerdrone on May 26, 2016 10:04:46 GMT -5
www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/black-lives-matter-activist-forced-teen-prostitution-article-1.2643885
Black Lives Matter activist forced teen into prostitution, cops say
Charles Wade, a prominent Black Lives Matter organizer, was arrested in April on human trafficking charges.
(Miami-Dade Corrections)
A prominent Black Lives Matter activist was arrested for allegedly forcing a 17-year-old girl into prostitution, officials said.
Charles Wade — a former celebrity stylist who turned to activism in the wake of the 2014 shooting death of unarmed Missouri teen Michael Brown — posted ads online promoting the “fun and sexy” teen and pocketed all the cash his victim made from performing sex acts, according to a police report obtained by conservative news site Daily Caller.
The 33-year-old was arrested on a slew of human traffic and prostitution charges during an April Sting operation in Maryland, Prince George’s County police told the Daily News. A request for further comment was directed to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
According to the police report, an undercover officer responded to Wade’s ad on classified site backpage.com.
“Holla at me. Quick stay specials tonight and tomorrow. Independent. Fun and sexy. Text me to set up an appointment?
” the ad read, listing the poster’s age as 23. Through text message, the cop said he was looking for half an hour, and the prostitute wrote back “100 love.”The undercover cop agreed to meet the woman at a College Park Howard Johnson hotel. She answered her room door in nothing but a towel, which she quickly took off after the officer slipped her $100 in cash, according to the report.
There are people who consistently question police reports now emphatically not questioning mine. I wish it wasn't this way but it is.
— He/Him/His (@akacharleswade) May 18, 2016
As she got up to retrieve a condom, the cop identified himself — and the teen bolted out of the room and down a hallway. After she was caught by other agents outside the room, she told police the meeting had been arranged by Wade, whom she called her “manager.”
The teen told police that Wade knew she was underage: “You only have 5 months left until you’re 18 so I’m not worried,” he allegedly told her. The Maryland man booked all of her “dates” for her and then took all of her profits, she said.
Wade was arrested that night, and charged with multiple counts related to human trafficking and prostitution.
Wade — who runs Operation Help or Hush, a charity that provides housing to activists and community organizers — released a lengthy statement denying his involvement in the teen’s prostitution.
The activist said he agreed to help house the woman — who told him she was 20 years old not 17 — for a week as she waited for a monthly death benefit check from her late father’s insurance. After she got the funds, she’d find a rental, she allegedly told Wade, who booked her a hotel room for the in-between week and used his ID to check in since she said she had lost hers.
My statement. -CW pic.twitter.com/4sJocfmRvA
— He/Him/His (@akacharleswade) May 18, 2016
Hours after Wade booked her a room at the Howard Johnson, she was arrested for prostitution, he said.
“Hindsight is 20/20, and in my desire to help her as she was displaced, I did not protect myself,” he wrote. “I am confident that I will be cleared of the charges I am currently facing.”
Wade founded his charity as unrest mounted in Ferguson, Mo., after an unarmed black teenager was killed by a while top. Wade paused his career as a celebrity stylist — he once was an image consultant to Beyoncé’s sister, Solange Knowles — and began the organization to provide aid for the protesters flooding the town.
Maryland court records show that Wade's trail is set for June 3.