A Queens man was arraigned on charges of sex trafficking a child, rape and other crimes, and was also indicted on a criminal weapon possession charge for an incident back in September, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
“I have put significant resources into finding and helping those who are being forced into sex work,” Katz said. “Those who will prey upon the vulnerable should know that in Queens, we will not relent in this responsibility.”
Troy Siddons, 38, of 127th Avenue in Jamaica, was arraigned on Jan. 23 on a 15-count indictment charging him with sex trafficking of a child, sex trafficking, compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution in the first and second degrees and rape in the second degree.
Secondly, the defendant was indicted on four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, three counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm. If convicted, Siddons faces up to 40 years in prison.
Siddons allegedly met with a 14-year-old girl at a party on or about Jan. 16, 2022, and exchanged phone numbers, according to the charges. Siddons then met the victim at the Van Wyck Hotel and paid her cash in exchange for sexual intercourse.
According to the DA, Siddons met with the victim on another occasion at the Best Western Inn, where he held her against her will. The defendant told the victim she owed him and his associate $300 and coerced her to engage in sex with paying customers to pay the debt.
The charges also outline how Siddons allegedly arranged customers while he and his associates collected cash from them for sex with the victim. The defendant did not allow the victim to leave and refused medical care when she complained about tremendous pain due to sexual encounters, according to the charges. The victim was rescued from a home in Brooklyn where she was being held with her traffickers.
Regarding the firearm charges, on Sept. 27, 2022, police executed a search warrant on Siddons’ Queens residence. According to the charges, police found Siddons and a co-defendant inside of the residence. Siddons jumped out a second-story window to escape. Two loaded firearms, along with a bulletproof vest were recovered from the defendant’s bedroom of the residence.
