2 men charged with prostituting teens

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NEW YORK, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Two New York men have been charged with forcing two teenagers into prostitution, advertising their services on the Internet.

Arctic Rogers, 25, and Treymaine Songster, 26, both Brooklyn residents, face a long list of charges, including torturing animals, The New York Times reported.

Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced the charges at a news conference Wednesday. The parents and sister of one of the girls appeared with him.

The sister said Rogers prevented the teenager from going to school and kept her out of contact with her family.

"That was terrifying, not knowing if she's alive or what's going on through the day," her mother said.

The investigation began in December when the sister called the Sex Trafficking Unit.

Rogers allegedly used Craigslist and another online advertising site.

At his arraignment Wednesday in Brooklyn, Assistant District Attorney Lauren Hersh said Rogers terrorized one of the girls, including torturing a mouse in front of her and threatening to kill her family if she did not bring in at least $1,000 a night. Songster allegedly guarded the apartment where the girls were kept.

Bail was set for Rogers at $10 million.

Craigslist closed its erotic-services section after the "Craigslist killer" case in Boston became public. But its personal columns are still used to advertise sexual services, and the bodies of four prostitutes who used Craigslist were recently found on Long Island.