Long Island Man Trafficked Homeless NYC Woman To 'Repay Him' For Shelter Help: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Shirley man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in connection with luring a New York City woman to Long Island by promising her shelter and then forcing her to engage in sexual acts with others in exchange for money to "repay” him, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Monday.

In July 2023, Javesh Persaud, 34, met the 18-year-old victim on Omegle, the now defunct online chat platform that randomly paired strangers online for virtual chats and video conferencing, said prosecutors, adding that when the woman met him, she had no known address and was sleeping on Manhattan subways.

Persaud claimed he helped people who were without homes and offered her clean clothes, a shower, food, and a place to sleep, according to prosecutors.

He picked her up in Manhattan the same day and drove her to a parking lot in Shirley, where he parked next to a broken-down car, and told her to put her things in the car, and informed her that she would be sleeping there with him, prosecutors said.

The woman, who had no friends, family, or contacts in Suffolk, complied, and the next day, he began to force her to engage in sexual acts with strangers in exchange for money which he kept for himself, according to prosecutors.

He promised to permit her to sleep in the car and provide her with food, prosecutors said.

At one point, she refused to take part in the sexual acts and tried to argue with Persaud, but he slapped her in the face and threatened to stab her with a knife that he always carried with him, prosecutors said, adding that she was "terrified," and continued to engage in sex acts for his profit.

He would also force her to engage in sex acts with him by strangling her until she complied, according to prosecutors.

On Sept. 1, 2023, while he was not in her presence, the woman contacted Polaris, the National Human Trafficking hotline, to ask for help, prosecutors said.

Polaris immediately reached out to the Suffolk police, and officers were dispatched to recover the victim, according to prosecutors.

The Human Trafficking Investigations Unit of the police department began an investigation with the DA’s Hate Crimes, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias/Immigrant Affairs, Human Trafficking Unit, or H.E.A.T., and arrested Persaud shortly after.

Tierney said Persaud's 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."

“Suffolk County law enforcement will continue to vigorously prosecute those who seek to exploit vulnerable individuals," he said. "We will not relent.”

In addition to sex trafficking, Persaud also pleaded guilty to criminal sexual act and promoting prostitution.

Persaud is due back in court on Dec. 9, and he is expected to be sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision.

Patch has reached out to his attorney, Jason Bassett of Central Islip, for comment.