Senior Prostitution Ring Busted in New Jersey Building

Senior prostitution ring: A pair of seniors were allegedly running a prostitution ring out of their apartments in a senior citizen building in New Jersey.
Senior Prostitution Ring Busted in New Jersey Building
Zachary Stieber
5/14/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

Senior prostitution ring: A pair of seniors were allegedly running a prostitution ring out of their apartments in a senior citizen building in New Jersey.

The suspects, a man (75) and a woman (66), spurred a recent rise in crime that had residents of the Vincente K. Tibbs Senior Citizen Building afraid to leave their apartments, according to the New Jersey Record citing law enforcement officials.

“Essentially, they were prisoners in their own building,” Chief Arthur O’Keefe of the Englewood police said of the residents. “I wasn’t going to allow that to continue.”

The man, James Parham, is said to have admitted providing prostitutes, mostly young women with crack cocaine addictions, to some of his younger neighbors in the building. He has been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a drug nuisance, with more charges possibly to come.

The woman, Cheryl Chaney, faces the same charges, as well as possession of crack cocaine. 

Police also charged 54-year-old Selma McDuffie, who has been suspended as a school crossing guard, with having a crack pipe.

The building is exclusively for low-income persons aged 62 and older and disabled people aged 55 and older.