Foster Parent and Her Husband Convicted of Trafficking Eight Women, Including Two Placed in Her Care 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., today announced the sentencing of KAREEM MITCHELL, 38, a/k/a “Napoleon,” to 18 years in state prison for running a sex trafficking operation alongside his wife SHARICE MITCHELL, 51, involving at least eight women. Two of the women had been placed in SHARICE MITCHELL’s care in her role as a certified New York State foster parent. SHARICE MITCHELL was previously sentenced to 6 years in state prison. Both defendants pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Sex Trafficking in May 2023.

“Kareem and Sharice Mitchell preyed on young New Yorkers, including two entrusted to their care,” said District Attorney Bragg. “The vulnerabilities exploited by the Mitchells – youth, homelessness, isolation – are common among trafficking survivors. Those same vulnerabilities often prevent survivors from coming forward to law enforcement. I call on the legislature to confront the realities of sex trafficking in New York State: help us dismantle operations like these by eliminating the criminal statute of limitations.”

As admitted in the defendants’ guilty pleas, court documents, and statements made on the record in court, KAREEM MITCHELL ran a sex trafficking operation involving at least eight women between November 2018 and February 2022. He used Instagram and Facebook to recruit women to work for him, then subjected them to verbal and physical abuse to coerce them to engage in prostitution, including in cars and hotels in Midtown and elsewhere in Manhattan, as well as Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

KAREEM MITCHELL, a registered sex offender stemming from his 2008 federal conviction for transportation of a minor to engage in prostitution and other related charges, was assisted in his trafficking operation by his wife, SHARICE MITCHELL, who is a certified New York State foster parent. SHARICE MITCHELL lied on her application to become a foster parent, claiming she did not live with her husband – though he was registered to the same address. Two of the eight survivors were women who had been placed in SHARICE MITCHELL’s care as young adults.

Assistant D.A.s Lauren Breen and Meaghan Dunigan handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Courtney Razner (Deputy Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit) and Jonathon Junig (Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit), as well as Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division). The investigation was led by the Special Victims Investigation Squad, under the supervision of Supervising Rackets Investigator Elena Lui, with Human Trafficking Investigators Ariela DaSilva and Sean Ryan and Analysts Jackie Karp and Jodi Lessner. Human Trafficking Clinical Director Melissa Martinez and the Witness Aid Services Unit provided valuable support.
 
Defendant Information:
 
KAREEM MITCHELL, a/k/a “NAPOLEON,” a/k/a “PO,” a/k/a “KAM MILLER”
Bronx, NY
 
Convicted:

• Sex Trafficking, a class B felony, 5 counts

Sentenced:

• 18 years in state prison

SHARICE MITCHELL, a/k/a “SHARICE JENNINGS,” a/k/a “REESE”
Bronx, NY
 
Convicted:

• Sex Trafficking, a class B felony, 4 counts

Sentenced:

• 6 years in state prison

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