40 Years For Man Who Human Trafficked In Morris Co.: Prosecutor

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A North Carolina man will spend 40 years in jail after he was found guilty of human trafficking a minor, the first time anyone has stood trial for those charges in Morris County history, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said.

Aldophus Mims, 42, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to 40 years, with no possibility of parole until he has served his entire sentence. He will then be required to register as a sex offender, and will be subject to parole for the rest of his life. He had faced up to life in prision.

In a first-of-its-kind trial earlier this year, Mims was found guilty of human trafficking, three counts of promoting prostitution, two counts of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts distribution of heroin.

The crimes happened during the span of a single week in June 2015. Mims gave heroin to two teenage girls, one 15 and the other 17, convincing them to prostitute themselves at a Rockaway Township hotel. After the girls engaged in sex acts, Mims would take the money, Knapp said. Mims also engaged in a sexual act with the younger girl.

After the Rockaway Hotel, Mims took the girls to a hotel in Parsippany to continue prostituting them.

Debbie Kooken, of Boonton, was also accused of prostituting and trafficking the two girls alongside Mims. She pleaded guilty to two counts of promoting prostitution and is awaiting sentencing.