By Dustin Brown
An Astoria man has been charged with kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl who was allegedly abducted by a Long Island couple she had befriended in an Internet chat room, the Queens district attorney said.
Michael Montez of 25-91 38th St. allegedly held the girl captive in his apartment for 45 hours on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8, where he is accused of physically and sexually abusing her many times, the DA’s office said in a criminal complaint.
He has been charged with kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child as well as five counts of both rape and sodomy in the first degree. At his arraignment in Queens Criminal Court Monday night, he pleaded not guilty to all charges, the district attorney said.
If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
Beth Loschin, 46, and James Warren, 41, of 103 Lockwood Ave. in Farmingdale have also been charged in the crime.
The girl originally encountered Warren and Loschin in an Internet chat room and eventually agreed to meet them in her home town of Wrentham, Mass. on Friday, Aug. 3, Nassau County police said. They drove her back to their home in Farmingdale, L.I., where they allegedly held her against her will and sexually abused her multiple times, police said.
Forced to wear high heels and black lingerie, the girl was allegedly “loaned” to Montez by the Long Island couple at about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 7, according to the criminal complaint, and was threatened with physical injury if she did not cooperate.
Loschin and Warren allegedly told her “that if she did not do what Michael wanted, they would beat her more than they already had done and would kill her and get rid of her,” the complaint said.
Montez allegedly forced the girl into sex acts with him in the course of two days in his third-floor front apartment in Astoria, the district attorney said.
The DA also alleged that Montez wrapped ace bandages around the girl’s eyes and ears to prevent her from seeing or hearing anything, then tied her against a clothes rack in the closet while she was naked. When she began to cry hysterically, Montez allegedly stuffed a gag in her mouth but removed it to allow her to cough and breathe, said the DA.
She was moved from the Astoria apartment on the evening of Aug. 8 and returned to the Farmingdale home, where she was rescued by police Friday after she found a cell phone and called for help, authorities said.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
