Central Islip, NY - January 4, 2019 - Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini today announced the unsealing of a 15-count indictment against two men in connection with an alleged sex trafficking operation involving two victims, one of whom is a 12-year-old girl.
Terron Newsome, 22, of Central Islip, and Fredjy Exavier, 22, of Central Islip, are each charged with Kidnapping in the Second Degree, a B felony; Sex Trafficking of a Child, a B felony; Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child, a C felony; Attempted Promoting Prostitution in the First Degree, a C felony; Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree, a C felony; Attempted Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree, a D felony; two counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a D felony; Attempted Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, an E felony; three counts of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, an E felony; Unlawful Imprisonment in the Second Degree, an A misdemeanor; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, an A misdemeanor. Exavier is also charged with one count of Criminal Facilitation in the Fourth degree, an A misdemeanor.
“It is absolutely sickening that anyone would try to profit off the sexual exploitation of a child,” District Attorney Sini said. “And yet we know that even here in Suffolk County, we are not immune to these heinous crimes, which is why my office, in conjunction with the Suffolk County Police Department, has made cracking down on human trafficking a priority. We will do everything in our power to hold these two perpetrators accountable and continue to protect victims.”
On Dec. 18, 2018, Newsome and Exavier allegedly picked up two minor females, ages 12 and 17, from a local restaurant and drove them to the Rodeway Inn Macarthur Airport, located at 3055 Veterans Memorial Highway in Ronkonkoma.
While at the hotel, Newsome allegedly attempted to convince the 12-year-old to work as a prostitute for him and offered to take her photographs so that he could post prostitution advertisements for her on the internet. Newsome also allegedly asked the victim if she did or wanted any drugs and offered to provide her with marijuana.
The victim locked herself in the bathroom of the hotel room and made a call for help on a cell phone, which resulted in the police being contacted.
After Newsome and Exavier became aware of the phone call, Exavier attempted to leave the hotel with the two victims.
At approximately at 2:27 a.m., Suffolk County Police officers arrived and apprehended Exavier in the parking lot of the hotel. Newsome was located and arrested inside a hotel room.
Following an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit, police determined that Newsome had allegedly trafficked the 17-year-old victim into prostitution for several years.
Newsome and Exavier were arraigned on the indictment in front of Suffolk County Judge Anthony Senft Jr. Bail was set for Newsome at $300,000 cash or $600,000 bond. Bail was set for Exavier at $150,000 cash or $300,000 bond.
If convicted of the top count, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five to 25 years in prison.
Newsome and Exavier are due back in court on Jan. 22.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Amanda Scheier, of the District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Team, which is a part of the Enhanced Prosecution Bureau’s Crime Strategies & Major Investigations Unit.
The Human Trafficking Team was launched in January 2018 by District Attorney Sini and works in collaboration with the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit and other law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute human trafficking.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.