Valley Stream Man Sentenced In Sex Trafficking Case: DA

VALLEY STREAM, NY. — A 28-year-old Valley Stream man was sentenced to nine years in prison and 10 years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to charges of prostitution, rape and sex trafficking, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Tuesday.

28-year-old Terrell Chery pleaded guilty on Nov. 24 to one count of sex trafficking of a child, one count of second-degree promoting prostitution, one count of third-degree rape, one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of second-degree criminal contempt, prosecutors said. Chery was sentenced Tuesday and will have to register as a sex offender upon his release, prosecutors said.

Donnelly’s office said Tuesday that police had responded to the Floral Park Motor Lodge on Dec. 23, 2024 to search for a missing 16-year-old girl from New York City. Officers found Chery in the room at the motel with a young woman who had an active order of protection against him, an order he was violating at the time, prosecutors said.

During an investigation at the motor lodge, prosecutors said police found the 16-year-old girl in a hotel room down the hall.

Chery also helped to secure hotel rooms and arranged “dates” for the girl, arranging transportation to multiple hotels and motels for the purposes of prostitution and posting online advertisements about it, prosecutors said Tuesday. Chery then took money from the girl after the prostitution had occurred, prosecutors said.

“Terrell Chery took advantage of a vulnerable, missing 16-year-old child, engaging her in sexual intercourse and profiting off of selling her for sex to online buyers,” Donnelly said. “Sex traffickers often target the most vulnerable young girls and women in our communities with empty promises of support and love to get them to submit to a life of prostitution. These individuals are true predators, and my prosecutors will ensure that they are put behind bars where they belong.”

Chery was arrested Dec. 23, 2024 by the Floral Park police department, assisted by the FBI Long Island Human Trafficking Task Force and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors said. Chery's attorney, Bruce Barket, declined to comment Wednesday.