David Hope Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Minors in Bronx

David Hope, a 29-year-old Bronx man known as “Capo,” has pled guilty to orchestrating a years-long sex trafficking ring that preyed on vulnerable minor girls, exploiting them for profit through online classified ads. Hope, who is wheelchair-bound, ran the criminal enterprise from his Bronx apartment, Connecticut, and other locations, using manipulation, threats, and violence to control his victims.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced the guilty plea in Manhattan federal court, where Hope admitted to one count of sex trafficking of a minor, carrying a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, also punishable by life; possession of child pornography, with a max of 10 years; and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, another 10-year max charge. Sentencing is set for March 1, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein.

According to court documents and statements during his plea, Hope recruited at least four minor girls who looked up to him, grooming them into prostitution through coercion and intimidation. He used an online classified ad website to arrange transactions, profiting from the sale of these minors for sex. His operation spanned years, beginning as early as 2013, and relied on psychological and physical control to maintain dominance over his victims.

When NYPD officers executed a search warrant at the Hope Apartment on January 16, 2015, Hope ordered a minor female to throw a loaded, defaced firearm out the rear window. The gun had been in the bed where he slept. He had previously been convicted of a felony, making his possession of the weapon illegal. Months later, during his arrest on November 19, 2015, authorities found a sexually explicit video of one of his minor victims on his cellphone.

Bharara condemned Hope’s actions as a “cruel” exploitation of young girls, vowing that protecting minors from predators like him remains a top priority for federal law enforcement and the FBI. He credited the FBI’s investigative work, NYPD’s assistance, and collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, the Connecticut Child Exploitation Task Force, and the ATF/NYPD Joint Robbery Task Force (SPARTA) for their roles in dismantling the operation.

Hope has remained in federal custody since his 2015 arrest. Authorities urge anyone with information about child exploitation to contact the FBI at 1-212-384-1000 or visit tips.fbi.gov. The case underscores the brutal reality of domestic sex trafficking and the lengths predators will go to exploit the vulnerable for profit.

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