A Shirley man offered shelter to an 18-year-old girl experiencing homelessness. Then, he forced her to engage in sex acts with others to “repay” him.
Javesh Persaud, 34, of Shirley, pleaded guilty on Oct. 28 to sex trafficking and other related charges for forcing the unhoused teenager into performing sex acts on others so she could make money to “repay” him for the shelter he had promised her, said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“This conviction is the result of the tremendous courage that the victim showed in escaping the clutches of this defendant’s heinous abuse by calling the Polaris hotline, and the subsequent outstanding investigative work by the Human Trafficking units of the Suffolk County Police Department and my office,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Suffolk County law enforcement will continue to vigorously prosecute those who seek to exploit vulnerable individuals. We will not relent.”
According to court documents and his own admission, Persaud met the teenager in July 2023 on Omegle, a now-defunct online chat platform that randomly paired strangers for virtual chats and video conferencing. At the time, the teen was unhoused and sleeping in Manhattan subways. Persaud claimed that he helped people experiencing homelessness and offered the victim clean clothes, a shower, food and a place to sleep.
Persaud 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 that she would be sleeping there with him and instructed her to put her things in the car. The teenager, who had no friends, family or contacts in Suffolk County, complied.
The next day, Persaud allegedly began to force the teenager to engage in sex acts with strangers in exchange for money which he kept for himself. At one point, she refused to engage in the sex acts and tried to argue with Persaud. He then allegedly slapped her in the face and threatened to stab her with the knife that he always carried with him.
Terrified, the victim continued to engage in sex acts for Persaud’s profit, the DA’s office said. Persaud also forced the teenager to engage in sex acts with him by strangling her until she complied, according to court documents and Persaud’s guilty plea admission.
When she was alone, the victim contacted Polaris, the National Human Trafficking hotline, on Sept. 1 to ask for help. Polaris immediately contacted the Suffolk County Police Department, and officers were dispatched to recover the victim. The Human Trafficking Investigations Unit of the SCPD began an investigation with the DA’s HEAT Unit (Hate Crimes, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias/Immigrant Affairs, Human Trafficking) and arrested Persaud.
Persaud is due back in court on Dec. 9. He is expected to be sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. At the time of publishing, Persaud’s attorney has not responded to the Press’ request for a statement.
To report suspicious activity or to get help, call 911; the H.E.A.T. Tipline at 631-852-2950; the National Human Trafficking Hotline, operated by the Polaris Project, at 1-888-373- 7888; or text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733.
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