First New York man charged on sex trafficking sentenced

First New York man charged on sex trafficking sentenced

2011-02-08 04:56:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

QUEENS, NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- A New York man on Monday was sentenced to at least 3 years in prison on sex trafficking charges, the first indicted in the state.

Woodley Gaston, 25, of Queens, is the first individual to be charged under New York State’s 2007 sex trafficking statute. He was sentenced to an indeterminate term of three to nine years in prison and to register as a sex offender.

The defendant pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and other charges for prostituting three young women in January. Gaston was first charged in 2007 with advancing and profiting from the prostitution of a 16-year-old girl.

In 2008, Gaston was charged again with forcing a second girl of the same age into prostitution. Two years later, the defendant was accused of prostituting an 18-year-old girl to repay a debt; his third offense.

"This defendant preyed on troubled and needy teenage girls, using them for his sexual gratification and then as a commodity to be sold to others for cash which he then pocketed for himself," said Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown.

In his guilty plea, Gaston admitted two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of second-degree promoting prostitution, two counts of third-degree promoting prostitution and two counts of third-degree rape.

In the first case, Gaston forced the then 17-year-old victim into a vehicle by threatening to beat her up and then forced her into prostitution between June 1, 2007, and September 3, 2007, and again between January 1, 2008, and March 31, 2008.

Then, he allegedly posted sexually explicit photographs of the victim on the Internet site Craigslist to attract customers and forced the victim to perform various sexual acts for money and to turn the money over to him. The girl was also directed to perform sex acts with his landlord as a means of rent payment of his Queens home.

His second victim was a 16-year-old girl who he befriended buying her clothes and paying for her to get her nails and hair done. After that, Gaston forced her to work for him as a prostitute between March 5, 2008 and March 23, 2008. He also advertised her on Craigslist.

Gaston was the first individual indicted under a state legislation strengthening penalties against human trafficking enacted on June 6, 2007, and took effect on November 1, 2007.

Under the legislation's provisions was the creation of a new class B felony - "sex trafficking" - for perpetrators who profit from prostitution by engaging in sex trafficking.

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