Man, 59, burned with iron, threatened and robbed at hotel room after responding to sex ad
QUEENS, NEW YORK: A 59-year-old man was lured to a Queens hotel room on the false promise of sex only to be tortured for hours by two suspects who then robbed him, as per the prosecutors. On August, 6, after responding to a prostitution ad, the victim arrived at Hotel Ninety Five outside JFK Airport in Jamaica and paid 19-year-old Destiny Lebron for sex, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. Both the culprits tortured the man for hours as they held him in captivity.
The horrifying incident began to unfold as soon as the man began to get undressed. Lebron allegedly threw bleach in her victim’s face before opening the door to let in her alleged co-conspirator, 22-year-old Gil Iphael. "Iphael charged the victim, covered his head with a blanket and began punching him whereas demanding his cash," Katz said, reported New York Post. "The two culprits confiscated the man’s car keys, phone and wallet," officials said. When the man refused to unlock his phone, Lebron allegedly burned him with a curling iron until he gave in, according to prosecutors.
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The duo tried to steal the man’s money by transferring it electronically before making multiple trips to the ATM to withdraw funds as an alternative, the DA said. The alleged torture continued for hours. Katz alleged the abuse was 'psychological', too. Iphael allegedly led his victim to believe he had a gun while threatening to kill him. And both suspects allegedly threatened to kill the victim’s family if he went to the police. "The threats primarily didn’t work, the victim called 911 when he was free of his assailants," police said.
Lebron, of Brooklyn, and Iphael, of Valley Stream, Long Island, were indicted Wednesday on 22 counts, including kidnapping, robbery and assault. “As alleged, the defendants pounced on the unsuspecting man, held him against his will and severely beat and terrorized him over several hours,” Katz said in a statement. “This kind of lawlessness is inexcusable and will not be tolerated. Both defendants are in custody and face very serious charges.”
Lebron and Iphael face 25 years in prison if convicted.