'Sadistic' NY man threatened to cut off victim's genitals, tried to cut off toe: DA
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – A Long Island man attempted to cut off a victim's toe and threatened to cut off his genitals, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Wednesday.
Gil Iphael, 25, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery, and promoting prostitution with the assistance of an accomplice: Iphael's co-defendant, Destiny Lebron, is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence. Iphael was sentenced to 20 years, according to records.
"[Iphael] took part in a sadistic months-long crime spree, terrifying his victims and forcing one of them into prostitution. The woman was held against her will and coerced to have sex with strangers for money. Two men were lured to different locations for sex, were beaten and threatened with heinous acts," Katz said.
According to an investigation, the defendants lured victims to locations for sex. When the victims arrived, they were assaulted and robbed, authorities say.
In July 2022, the defendants met a woman on Instagram. Lebron asked her to engage in prostitution, but she declined.
Lebron continued messaging the victim until she agreed to meet. The victim met the defendants at a hotel, where she was told she could either assist in robbing victims or engage in prostitution. She refused, so the defendants assaulted her, forcing her to take pictures of herself to be used in online prostitution ads. According to authorities, multiple clients showed up, and the defendants kept all the proceeds from that night.
The victim later managed to escape, according to court documents.
In August 2022, another victim responded to a sex ad featuring a photo of Lebron and met her in a hotel room. While he was undressing, Lebron threw bleach in his face. Iphael entered the room, covered the victim's head with a blanket, and began punching the victim and demanding money. The defendants assaulted him for several hours and drained his bank account, according to authorities.
Another male victim responded to a prostitution ad featuring Lebron. Once at a location in Queens, he began to undress, and the defendants beat the victim, attempted to cut off his toe, and threatened to cut off his genitals. The defendants assaulted him and took turns using the victim's debit card at an ATM.
Katz thanks the brave victims who came forward, which helped bring the defendants to justice.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.