A Shirley man has offered shelter to an 18-year-old girl facing homelessness. He then forced her to engage in sexual acts with others to “reward” him.

Javesh Persaud, 34, of Shirley, pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to sex trafficking and other related charges for forcing the homeless teenager to perform sexual acts on others so he could earn money to “repay ” for the shelter he had promised her, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

“This conviction is the result of the victim’s extraordinary courage to escape the clutches of this defendant’s heinous abuse by calling the Polaris Hotline and the subsequent outstanding investigative work of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department’s human trafficking units and my office,” said Prosecutor Tierney. “Suffolk County law enforcement will continue to vigorously prosecute those who seek to exploit vulnerable individuals. We will not give in.”

According to court documents and his own admission, Persaud met the teenager in July 2023 on Omegle, a Online chat platform that randomly matched strangers for virtual chats and video conferences. At that time, the teenager was homeless and sleeping in the subways of Manhattan. Persaud claimed to have helped the homeless and provided the victim with clean clothes, a shower, food and a place to sleep.

Persaud picked up the victim in Manhattan that same day and drove her to a parking lot in Shirley, where she parked next to a broken-down car. Persaud told the victim he would sleep there with him and ordered him to put his things in the car. The teenager, who had no friends, family or contacts in Suffolk County, complied.

The next day, Persaud allegedly began forcing the teenager to engage in sexual acts with strangers in exchange for money he kept for him. At one point, she refused to engage in sexual acts and tried to argue with Persaud. He then allegedly slapped her in the face and threatened to stab her with the knife he always carried with him.

Terrified, the victim continued to engage in sexual acts for Persaud’s profit, the DA’s office said. Persaud also forced the teenager to engage in sexual acts with him by strangling her until she complied, according to court documents and Persaud’s guilty plea.

When she was alone, the victim contacted her Polaristhe National Human Trafficking Hotline on September 1 to ask for help. Polaris immediately contacted the Suffolk County Police Department, and officers were dispatched to retrieve the victim. SCPD’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit began an investigation with the Prosecutor’s Office’s HEAT Unit (Hate Crimes, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias/Immigrant Affairs, Human Trafficking) and arrested Persaud.

Persaud is due back in court on December 9. He is expected to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. At the time of publication, Persaud’s lawyer did not respond to Presser’ declaration request.

To report suspicious activity or get help, call 911; THE HEAT Tipline at 631-852-2950; tThe National Human Trafficking Hotline, operated by Project Polaris, at 1-888-373-7888; or text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733.

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