NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A man was arraigned for allegedly attempted sex trafficking of a child in Brooklyn last month and trying to convince her to engage in prostitution, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Wednesday.
Deandre Lee, 29, was charged with attempted sex trafficking of a child, attempted promoting prostitution, rape, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the investigation, on April 28, a 15-year-old girl was walking on Mother Gaston Boulevard in East New York when she met Lee, who let her charge her phone in his car.
He then asked her to walk around the corner to meet him, and he then allegedly drove her to Chipotle to get some food.
After they ate, Lee drove the girl to the side of a highway in Brooklyn, gave her marijuana, then had sex with her. He then allegedly told the victim she could make money by stripping or selling her body in exchange for money, then drove her home.
The next day, Lee and victim were texting when he asked the girl if she thought about what they talked about.
The victim then reported the rape to police.
Following an investigation, Lee was arrested on Tuesday in the Bronx.
He was ordered held on bail of $100,000 cash or $500,000 bond and set to return to court on Aug. 7.
"This defendant allegedly exploited a vulnerable teenager, trying to convince her to engage in prostitution. Luckily, she reported him to the police. We will now seek to bring him to justice," DA Gonzalez said.