Adam “Damian” Lee (29) allegedly forced a homeless woman into prostitution with the help of Ida Copeland (35), a hotel maid, announced Queens (NYC) District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Both suspects now face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, on charges of sex trafficking, promotion of prostitution and other crimes for allegedly forcing a homeless woman into prostitution at venues throughout Queens County. Lee faces additional charges of rape, sexual abuse, and assault.
According to prosecutor Katz, the crimes began after the homeless woman from 35 years old allegedly told Copeland on January 1 that he could no longer afford to stay at the unidentified hotel. Later, Lee allegedly appeared in the woman’s room and told her that Copeland had sent him.
Lee then told the guest that she “worked for him” and to put on “sexy” clothes, according to Katz. When she refused, she pulled out a gun and forced her to take sexual photos for advertisements.
The woman was taken to a residence for the first time on January 5. Katz said a man there paid Lee, who waited outside while the victim and “client” were inside the house. At one point, the resident became angry and refused to let the woman leave, prompting Lee to break down the door and drag her out of the house.
When the victim was alone with Copeland after the incident, she claimed that Lee assaulted her. In response, Copeland allegedly told him that the victim had to “deal with” it and “keep him happy” by meeting his dues.
Days later, on 15 January, Lee allegedly took the woman to meet a man for sex. The next day, she was allegedly taken to a hotel, also for the purpose of being intimate with a client. In the process, Lee allegedly hit the victim in the head, giving her a black eye. He later sexually assaulted and raped her, according to the complaint.
The woman managed to call the police after the incident and was taken to a nearby hospital in Queens for treatment, he said Pix11.
“ As alleged, the two defendants in this case exploited the victim’s circumstances for their own gain. The victim, who was homeless, was forced to sell sex for cash, money that defendant Lee collected and kept for himself,” Katz stated. “In addition, they are accused of abusing the position of hotel employee to attack victims of sex trafficking.”
According to previous complaints by the prosecution and other victims, some hotels “hide” sex trafficking in New York, especially in Queens.
It has also been repeatedly said that Queens is the capital of prostitution disguised as massages in the US This month, Sharice Mitchell (51) and her husband Kareem “Napoleon” Mitchell (38) were charged with allegedly trafficking multiple women for sexual purposes in New York City, including two victims fostered in their home in the Bronx and then rented, prosecutors alleged.
Last week, Burma “Nancy” Rincón, a former Teaneck (NJ) resident who had fled to Colombia, was arrested upon returning to the country, as suspected of running a prostitution ring in New York and New Jersey with Latin women. In a similar case, five members of a Mexican family who operated a family sex trafficking network from Mexico to NY and other states were sentenced to lengthy prison terms this month.
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