SHIRLEY, N.Y. (1010 WINS) – A man was indicted for sex trafficking for luring a young woman who was experiencing homelessness to Long Island then forcing her to engage in sexual acts with others for money, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Friday.
Javesh Persaud, 33, of Shirley, was charged with sex trafficking, criminal sexual act, three counts of sex trafficking, criminal sexual act and several promoting prostitution charges.
According to the investigation, Persaud met the 18-year-old victim on "Omegle," a website that randomly pairs strangers online for virtual chats and video conferencing, at the end of July.
When she met Persaud, the victim was undomiciled and sleeping in New York City subways in Manhattan after she had been kicked out of her father’s house when she turned 18 and graduated from high school, officials said.
Persaud allegedly claimed that he helped people who were without
homes and offered the victim clean clothes, a shower, food, and a place to sleep.
He picked the victim up in Manhattan the same day and drove her to a parking lot in Shirley, where he parked next to a broken-down car.
Persaud told the victim to put her things in the car and informed her
that she would be sleeping there with him. The victim, who had no friends, family or contacts in Suffolk County, complied.
The next day, Persaud allegedly began to force the victim to engage in sexual acts with strangers in exchange for money which he kept for himself.
He promised to permit her to sleep in the car and provide her with food.
At one point, the victim refused to engage in the sexual acts and attempted to argue with Persaud.
He then allegedly slapped her in the face and threatened to stab her with a knife that he always carried with him.
The victim continued to engage in sex acts for Persaud’s profit, officials said.
In addition to forcing the victim to engage in sex with strangers, Persaud also forced the victim to engage in sex acts with him by strangling her until she complied.
On September 1, while Persaud was not in her presence, the victim contacted Polaris, the National Human Trafficking hotline, to ask for help.
Polaris immediately reached out to the Suffolk County Police Department, and officers were dispatched to recover the victim.
The Human Trafficking Investigations Unit of the SCPD launched an investigation and arrested Persaud shortly thereafter.
At his Sept. 15 arraignment on the indictment, Persaud was ordered to be held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or $1 million partially secured bond.
Persaud is due back in court on October, 16.
"This defendant allegedly took advantage of this victim’s vulnerability in order to inflict unspeakable and repeated traumas upon her for his own profit,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Human Trafficking is a scourge on our community that is often hiding in plain sight. My office will do everything in its power to combat this kind of atrocity.”