A Long Island man is facing two decades in prison after he admitted he crossed into Queens multiple times during the summer of 2022 to commit a “sadistic crime spree,” according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Gil Iphael, 25, of Copiague Street in Valley Stream, pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court on Thursday to kidnapping, robbery, and promoting prostitution for three disturbing incidents in which his victims were enticed to go to locations for sex, then detained, assaulted, and robbed them with the help of a female co-defendant from Brooklyn.
Iphael and Destiny Lebron, 20, of North Portland Avenue in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, repeatedly threatened to kill their victim’s families if they reported the crimes to the NYPD.
According to the charges, on July 30, 2022, Iphael and Lebron went to pick up a woman whom Lebron had befriended on Instagram a few months earlier. The two had exchanged messages of a sexual nature and photos and engaged in prostitution-related conversations. In July 2022, when Lebron asked her to engage in prostitution, the victim declined. Lebron continued to call and message the victim over two days, and they agreed to meet.
Iphael and Lebron took the woman to the Quality Inn hotel at 153-95 Rockaway Blvd. in Springfield Gardens, where the woman was told that she would have to either help them rob victims lured there by Lebron posing as a prostitute or she would have to engage in prostitution herself and turn over her profits to the defendants.
When the victim refused, Iphael and Lebron slapped, punched, and threatened her and forced her to take pictures of herself and used photos saved to her cell phone for online prostitution ads. That evening, several clients appeared at the hotel near JFK Airport and engaged in prostitution activities with the victim. Iphael and Lebron kept all proceeds collected from the Johns.
The victim managed to escape on July 31, when she was left unattended in the hotel room.
On Aug. 6, 2022, another victim, a man in his 50s, answered a prostitution ad featuring a photo of Lebron and met her in the hotel room. After the victim paid her to have sex and began to undress, Lebron threw bleach in his face and opened the door to let in Iphael, who covered the victim’s head with a blanket and began punching him and demanding cash, according to the charges. Lebron and Iphael restrained the victim and continued assaulting him for several hours. Iphael reached into a bag and threatened to kill the victim, leading the victim to believe Iphael had a gun. The defendants took the victim’s car keys, phone, and wallet.
When the victim refused to unlock his phone, Lebron burned him with a curling iron until he complied. They also stole the man’s car. The defendants attempted to transfer the victim’s money electronically before making multiple trips to ATM machines to withdraw cash from the victim’s account using his bank card. The defendants repeatedly threatened to kill the victim’s family if he reported the crime to police.
On Aug. 14, 2022, a third victim, a man in his 20s, answered a prostitution ad featuring a photo of Lebron. The man was instructed to meet Lebron at a Queens location. Once at the location, after the victim had agreed to pay her to have sex and began to undress, Lebron and Iphael beat the man, attempted to cut off his toes, and threatened to cut off his genitals. Lebron and Iphael restrained the victim and continued assaulting him, often while holding a pillow over his face. The defendants took turns taking the victim’s debit card and going to a nearby ATM to withdraw money. The defendants took the victim’s wallet, debit card, driver’s license, cash and other items. Iphael and Lebron repeatedly threatened to kill the victim’s family if he reported the crime to the NYPD.
“Gil Iphael participated in a sadistic crime spree in which one terrified victim was forced into prostitution and held against her will and others were brutally assaulted, restrained, and robbed,” Katz said. “He threatened to kill family members of victims if they reported the crimes.”
Lebron pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to 13 years in prison, followed by five years post-release supervision. Iphael pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of kidnapping in the second degree, two counts of robbery in the first degree, and one count of promoting prostitution in the second degree.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone is expected to sentence Iphael on March 4 to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“This defendant’s reign of violence and exploitation is now over,” Katz said. “And he will face 20 years in prison for his actions.”
She thanked her Human Trafficking Bureau for their “relentless work” on the case and the bravery of the victims who came forward.
