Long Island Man Found Guilty of Coercing Teen, Woman Into Prostitution

A Lindenhurst man faces up to 50 years in prison after a Suffolk County jury convicted him Tuesday of sex trafficking, promoting prostitution, rape, and other crimes, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Andrew Gayot, 38, was arrested in February 2014 when Suffolk County Police, probation officers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at his home at 258 North Greene Avenue in Lindenhurst.

Inside, police discovered a 15-year-old girl, who had run away from home, and a 21-year-old woman – both of whom were being held against their will by Gayot, prosecutors said. The charges against Gayot also included alleged crimes he committed against a 26-year-old woman in May and June of 2013.

• 258 North Greene Avenue in Lindenhurst/Google Maps photo

“The defendant used intimidation, physical abuse and psychological cruelty to coerce the women into prostitution,” Spota said. “The teenager was forbidden to leave the house unescorted, or to use her phone, without Gayot’s permission.”

Gayot was also found guilty of assault and strangulation charges.

“The women both shared their stories of how they were terrorized by the defendant, including an episode when he choked the teenager thinking she had shorted him money after meeting a john,” Spota said.

Gayot advertised the prostitution services on Backpage.com, officials said.

“The details of the terror inflicted on these women are chilling,” Spota said of the case in 2014. “On at least one occasion, the defendant terrorized both victims in the dark basement of the house with a chainsaw, asking the teenager “Now do you believe in the devil?”

Gayot will be sentenced on July 27.