When a caseworker from South Jersey visited a young mother’s home to talk about the woman’s children, the conversation took another turn, according to court documents.
Candace Talley, 27, is a former caseworker with the Office of Children and Youth Services in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. In May 2017, Talley allegedly told the woman about a prostitution ring she worked for on the side, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
The affidavit stated that Talley, a resident of Sicklerville, chose a vulnerable target when she offered the mom “an opportunity to make upwards of $1,000 a day if she would participate in prostitution.”
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The alleged victim, a mother of children in the foster-care system, agreed to Talley’s proposition, but went to police weeks later, according to the affidavit.
Talley was arrested and charged on Jan. 23 with human trafficking and prostitution felonies in connection with the case, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office said. She was released on $25,000 bail with home monitoring.
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The mom was 27 at the time Talley allegedly approached her. She told detectives she was persuaded by more than money. The affidavit stated:
“Ms. Talley told her she could help her with her children’s situation, implying she could assist having her children removed from foster care.”
The record stated that the mom “told the detectives she has a history of being involved with prostitution and drug use, which Talley knew through her access to various government records and reports.”
Talley allegedly assured the woman that she’d only give mandated drug tests when the woman hadn’t been using substances, the affidavit said. According to the record, the caseworker promised:
“If the urine test turned up ‘hot,’ she would use another person’s urine samples.”
In her conversation with the mom, Talley allegedly detailed a flourishing “prostitution enterprise with approximately 2,000 customers” in the Philadelphia area. According to the affidavit, Talley said she assisted in the “business” by transporting women to their customers’ locations.
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According to the court record, the woman agreed to work for Talley’s associates because she saw “an opportunity to make money and be reunited with her children.”
Detectives examined a series of texts that they uncovered how the prostitution proceeds were distributed, and precisely what was in it for Talley. The affidavit stated:
“The working girls must give the enterprise 50 percent of their earnings, which the pimp directly receives. Through reading text messages, Ms. Talley receives 50 percent of the working girl’s earnings after the pimp takes his cut.”
The court record said Talley also received a finder’s fee for directing women to work in the business. Wow, we are glad she has been caught.
