A Shirley man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexual trafficking of a homeless woman.
In July 2023, Javesh Persaud met the 18-year-old victim on Omegle, the now-defunct online chat platform that randomly paired strangers online for virtual chats and videoconferencing. When the victim met Persaud, she was homeless and sleeping in New York City subways in Manhattan.
Persaud claimed that he helped people who were without homes and offered the victim clean clothes, a shower, food, and a place to sleep. He 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 to put her things in the car and informed her that she would be sleeping there with him. The victim, who had no friends, family or contacts in Suffolk County, complied. The next day, Persaud began to force the victim to engage in sexual acts with strangers in exchange for money, which he kept for himself.
On September 1, 2023, while Persaud was not in her presence, the victim contacted Polaris, the National Human Trafficking hotline, to ask for help. Polaris immediately reached out to 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 Hate Crimes, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias, Human Trafficking unit (H.E.A.T.) and arrested Persaud shortly thereafter.
On October 25, 2024, Persaud, 34, pleaded guilty to the following charges before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis:
- one count of Sex Trafficking (by force), a Class B violent felony
- one count of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony
- three counts of Sex Trafficking, a Class B felony
- one count of Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree, a Class C felony
- one count of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a Class D felony
- one count of Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, a Class E felony
On December 11, 2024, Persaud was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by 20 years of post-release supervision.
“This defendant took advantage of the victim who was in a vulnerable situation and subjected her to cruel and inhumane acts for his own personal gain,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “This sentence not only gives justice to the victim but also sends a message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.”