Man Charged With Sex Trafficking Homeless Woman: Suffolk DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A man was indicted with sex trafficking after he was accused of luring a young homeless woman to Suffolk County and forcing her into sexual acts with others, District Attorney Raymond Tierney said on Friday.

Javesh Persaud, 33, of Shirley, promised the 18-year-old woman a place to stay but then forced her to engage in sexual acts with other people for money to repay him, the DA said.

"This defendant allegedly took advantage of this victim's vulnerability in order to inflict unspeakable and repeated traumas upon her for his own profit," Tierney said in a news release. "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."

Persaud met the woman on "Omegle," a site that randomly pairs strangers online for virtual chats and video conferencing, at the end of July, investigators said. When she met Persaud, the woman was homeless and sleeping in New York City subways in Manhattan, authorities said. She had been kicked out of her father’s house when she turned 18 and graduated from high school, officials said.

Persaud claimed he helped people who were without homes and offered the woman clean clothes, a shower, food, and a place to sleep, prosecutors said. He picked the woman up in Manhattan the same day and drove her to a parking lot in Shirley, where he parked next to a broken-down car, the DA said. Persaud told the woman to put her things in the car and informed her that she would be sleeping there with him, investigators said. The woman, who had no friends, family or contacts in Suffolk County, complied, officials said.

The next day, Persaud began to force the woman to engage in sexual acts with strangers in exchange for money, which he kept for himself, the DA said. He promised to let her sleep in the car and provide her with food, authorities said.

At one point, the woman refused to engage in the sexual acts and tried to argue with Persaud, who slapped her in the face and threatened to stab her with a knife he always carried with him, prosecutors said. Terrified, officials said the woman continued to engage in sex acts for Persaud’s profit.

In addition to forcing the woman to engage in sex with strangers, Persaud also forced her to engage in sex acts with him by strangling her until she complied, investigators said.

The woman contacted Polaris, the National Human Trafficking hotline, on Sept. 1 when Persaud was not around, prosecutors said. She asked for help, and Polaris immediately reached out to Suffolk police, who picked up the woman, authorities said. Persaud was arrested shortly after, officials said.

Persaud was charged with one count of sex trafficking, one count of first-degree criminal sexual act, three counts of sex trafficking, one count of second-degree promoting prostitution, one count of third-degree promoting prostitution, and one count of third-degree criminal sexual act.

Persaud was ordered held on $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond or $1 million partially secured bond at his arraignment on Friday. He is being represented by Katherine Fernandez. His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 16.