Man Indicted for Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Man Indicted for Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child

Defendant Allegedly Raped 15-Year-Old Girl, Tried to Persuade Her to Engage in Prostitution

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a man has been arraigned on an indictment in which he is charged with attempted sex trafficking of a child and other charges for allegedly trying to convince a 15-year-old girl to engage in prostitution.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "This defendant allegedly exploited a vulnerable teenager, trying to convince her to engage in prostitution. Luckily, she reported him to the police. We will now seek to bring him to justice."

The District Attorney identified the defendant Deandre Lee, 29, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an indictment in which he is charged with attempted sex trafficking of a child, second-, third- and fourth-degree attempted promoting prostitution, third-degree rape, third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. The defendant was ordered held on bail of $100,000 cash or $500,000 bond and to return to court on August 7, 2024.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on April 28, 2024, the victim, a 15-year-old girl, was walking on Mother Gaston Boulevard in East New York when she met the defendant, who let her charge her phone in his car. He then asked her to walk around the corner to meet him, and he then allegedly drove her to Chipotle to get some food.

Furthermore, the District Attorney said, after they ate, the defendant drove the victim to the side of a highway in Brooklyn, gave her marijuana, then had sex with her. He then allegedly told the victim she could make money by stripping or selling her body in exchange for money. He then drove her home. The next day, the defendant and victim were texting, and the defendant again asked the victim if she thought about what they talked about. The victim then reported the rape to police.

The defendant was arrested yesterday in the Bronx, following an investigation.

The District Attorney thanked Human Trafficking Unit Paralegal Aurora Martinez for her assistance on the case.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Paul Mastronardi of the New York City Police Department's Human Trafficking Squad, under the supervision of Sergeant Kevin Kavanagh, Lieutenant Amy Capogna and Captain Thomas Milano, and the overall supervision of Chief Carlos Ortiz.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Iorio, of the District Attorney's Human Trafficking Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Weiss, Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the District Attorney's Special Victims Bureau.

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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant's guilt.

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