Four men charged with raping, sex trafficking of NYC girl for 8 years

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Four Brooklyn men were arrested and charged Wednesday with the sex trafficking and rape of a young New York woman who stepped forward after eight years of alleged abuse.

Damien Crooks, Darrell Dula, Jamali Brockett and his brother Jawara Brockett were all accused of raping the now 20-year-old woman and forcing her into prostitution through intimidation for an eight year period, reports CBS station WCBS.

Alleged ringleader Crooks reportedly first met the girl and raped her in a neighborhood park. The victim says she was only 13 at the time of the first assault.

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes says the suspects intimidated her into silence, then forced her to have sex for money and repeatedly beat and raped her.

"Crooks would not let her go. He followed her. He threatened her. He showed up at her work and at school and through threats of physical abuse he continued to force her to have sex with numerous men, keeping all the money for himself," Hynes said.

The woman said she was beaten, stabbed and forced to sleep with homeless men when the proceeds she brought in weren't perceived to be enough, according to WCBS.

Although the victim lived with her family, finished high school and started college, she reportedly never told anyone what was happening to her.

The turning point came when she was studying criminal justice at John Jay College, WCBS reports. Her tormentors were allegedly threatening to recruit one of her close family members and she could not let that happen, so she went to her professor, Jeff Kern, a former prosecutor, who finally persuaded her to tell authorities.

Last year the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office launched an anti-sex trafficking campaign with a 24-hour hotline and posters across the borough. Since then, 26 alleged sex traffickers have been indicted.

Other victims are urged to call the hotline at 718-250-2770.