Sex-Trafficking Couple Exploited Foster Care Loophole, Officials Say

The younger lady mentioned that she got here ahead after Mrs. Mitchell began complaining to the caseworker that she was staying out at night time and on weekends — an effort she thought was meant to stress her to work for Mr. Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell, after his conviction in 2008, was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in jail. He was launched greater than a yr early in January 2013, federal information present.

After spending the subsequent 5 years beneath necessary supervision, Mr. Mitchell returned to intercourse trafficking, prosecutors mentioned.

Legislation enforcement officers had been unaware that he had executed so. They mentioned Mr. Mitchell was compliant along with his intercourse offender registration necessities, which included submitting state paperwork every year.

He was additionally required to offer his social media accounts, however nobody was legally required to observe them. In keeping with prosecutors, he used them to submit pictures of the ladies working for him with boastful captions.

The New York Metropolis Police Division, which is accountable for monitoring intercourse offenders within the metropolis who will not be in any other case beneath supervision, mentioned its intercourse offender monitoring unit had no means of understanding that Mr. Mitchell’s deal with was a foster residence. The unit, which has 14 officers overseeing greater than 9,600 registered offenders, doesn’t have an inventory of foster houses, and officers don’t conduct residence visits except an offender fails to fulfill registration necessities, the police mentioned.

On the Mitchells’ house constructing in Hunts Level, a neighbor mentioned she usually noticed scantily clad ladies who frequented the house peddling intercourse companies across the block.

The lady, who requested to not be named as a result of she mentioned she feared Mr. Mitchell, mentioned she was stunned, then relieved, final month when she heard the police banging on his door.

Susan C. Beachy contributed analysis. Andy Newman contributed reporting.