Boy, 16, Sex Trafficked In Washington Heights Apartment, DA Says

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A Manhattan man was sentenced Friday to 12 years in state prison for sexually assaulting and trafficking a 16-year-old boy over the course of five months in a Washington Heights apartment, prosecutors said.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said from March 1, 2024, to Aug. 6, 2024, the 16-year-old boy — who had run away from Child Protective Services — stayed in Matthew Halstead’s Washington Heights apartment.

During that time, 32-year-old Halstead repeatedly sexually assaulted and trafficked the teen, according to court documents and statements made during the plea.

Halstead took photos and videos of the teen engaging in sexual acts with him and other men, then used the images to solicit men to pay for sex with the child, prosecutors said. He posted the material to "X," formerly known as Twitter, and used the encrypted messaging app Telegram to find buyers and attempt to recruit other children.

According to Bragg's office, Halstead also exchanged sexually explicit images and videos of other children — some as young as toddlers — with users on Telegram.

"Sex trafficking evolves with technology, and traffickers increasingly rely on social media and anonymous messaging applications," Bragg said. "Matthew Halstead trafficked this child with the help of those tools, and further used them to share images of the child’s assault and attempt to recruit more children."

The district attorney thanked the survivor for speaking at sentencing, calling his participation "brave" and saying it would help protect other vulnerable young people.

The investigation began on Aug. 6, 2024, when police responded to what appeared to be a roommate dispute at the apartment. The NYPD’s Manhattan Special Victims Squad and the D.A.’s Human Trafficking Unit then launched an investigation.

Halstead was convicted of sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a child, use of a child in a sexual performance as a sexually motivated felony, promoting a sexual performance by a child, and criminal sexual act in the third degree. He was sentenced in the Manhattan Supreme Court.

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