Man Guilty Of Human Trafficking At Parsippany Hotel: MCPO

PARSIPPANY, NJ — A North Carolina man faces life in prison 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 found guilty in Morris County Superior Court on Wednesday following a trial. In a first-of-its-kind trial, 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.

At trial, Mims admitted to the acts, but claimed it was with two different women, not the two teenagers.

Mims will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a minimum of 20 years in jail, and up to a life sentence with no possibility of parole. He'll also be subject to registration on the sex offender registry and lifelong parole supervision.