NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A Long Island man pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery and promoting prostitution for three incidents in which he lured victims to go to a location for sex, then assaulted and robbed them with an accomplice, prosecutors announced on Thursday.
Gil Iphael, 25, of Copiague Street in Valley Stream, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery and promoting prostitution and is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years post release supervision. Iphael's co-defendant, Destiny Lebron, pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
According to court documents, on July 30, 2022, Iphael and Lebron went to pick up a woman whom Lebron met on Instagram. The two had exchanged messages of a sexual nature and photos and engaged in "prostitution-related conversations," prosecutors said. Lebron later asked the victim to engage in prostitution, but the victim declined. Lebron then continued to call and message the victim and the two agreed to meet.
Iphael and Lebron took the victim to the Quality Inn hotel in Rockaway, Queens where the woman was told that she would have to either help them rob victims lured there by Lebron posing as a prostitute, or she would have to engage in prostitution herself.
When the victim again refused, Iphael and Lebron slapped, punched and threatened her. They then forced her to take pictures of herself and used them for online prostitution ads. That evening, several clients appeared at the hotel and engaged in prostitution activity with the victim. Iphael and Lebron kept all the money collected from the clients.
The victim managed to escape on July 31 when she was left alone in the hotel room.
On Aug.6, 2022, another victim, a man in his 50s, answered a prostitution ad featuring a photo of Lebron and met her in a hotel room. After the victim had paid her to have sex and began to undress, Lebron threw bleach in his face. Iphael came inside and covered the victim's head with a blanket, punched him, and demanded money.
Iphael and Lebron tied up the victim and beat him for hours. Iphael reached into a bag and threatened to kill him, making the victim think he had a gun. They stole his car keys, phone, and wallet. When he refused to unlock his phone, Lebron burned him with a curling iron until he gave in. They broke one of the man's toes and repeatedly threatened to kill the victim's family if he reported the crime to police.
On Aug. 14, 2022, a third victim, a man in his 20s, answered a prostitution ad featuring a photo of Lebron. The man met Lebron at a location in Queens. Once there, after the victim had agreed to pay her to have sex and began to undress, Iphael and Lebron beat the man, attempted to cut off his toe and threatened to cut off his genitals.
Iphael and Lebron restrained the victim and continued assaulting him, often while holding a pillow over his face. The duo took turns taking the victim's debit card and going to a nearby ATM to withdraw money. They also took the victim's wallet, debit card, driver's license, money and other personal items.
"Gil Iphael participated in a sadistic crime spree in which one terrified victim was forced into prostitution and held against her will and others were brutally assaulted, restrained and robbed," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. "He threatened to kill the family members of victims if they reported the crimes. This defendant's reign of violence and exploitation is now over, and he will face 20 years in prison for his actions."
