A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for sexually abusing two young Queens girls over a period of three years, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Aug. 18.
Djamshed Lukmanov, 55, of Banner Avenue in Brighton Beach, was convicted in April of predatory sexual assault against a child and on the course of sexual conduct against a child following a two-week-long jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant.
The young girls, who are cousins, were 11 and 7 years old when the abuse began and persisted for more than three years.
According to trial testimony, Lukmanov and his wife were childhood friends with the mother of one of the young victims. In May 2007, the family of the 7-year-old victim sponsored the defendant and his wife to come to the United States from abroad and offered their Queens home as temporary housing.
Lukmanov began to sexually abuse the victim’s 11-year-old cousin when she would come over to visit her family between May and October 2007. The 11-year-old victim’s family cut off all ties with Lukmanov upon learning of the assault from their daughter just before her 12th birthday in 2007. The family did not notify the police, according to trial testimony.
According to Katz, in 2008, after Lukmanov had moved out of the home, he began to offer rides to the bus stop to the 7-year-old victim. Once inside the car, he sexually assaulted the victim, a pattern that was repeated over the next two years. After her ninth birthday, the victim did not see Lukmanov again for approximately six years.
In March 2016, the younger victim, now a teenager, saw the defendant at a function she attended and became visibly upset, according to trial testimony. She later disclosed the history of abuse to a counselor, who informed the victim’s mother. At the time, the victim did not feel ready to report the criminal behavior to law enforcement.
In 2018, the victim decided to report the abuse to the authorities. When she went to her local precinct to describe the sexual assault, the victim’s mother also informed the police of what happened to her niece, the victim’s cousin, in 2007. Lukmanov was arrested shortly thereafter.
“Both of these young victims have a long road to recovery from the horrific abuse they endured,” Katz said. “The trauma cannot be undone but I hope that today’s sentencing brings them both a measure of closure, knowing that their abuser was held fully accountable for preying on innocent children. The defendant will now spend a long time in prison as punishment for his despicable actions.”
Justice Pandit-Durant imposed the sentence of 15 years to life in prison on the predatory sexual assault against a child charge and five years on the course of sexual conduct charge, to run concurrently with each other. Lukmanov will also be required to register as a sex offender.
