A Long Island man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court after pleading guilty to kidnapping, robbery, and promoting prostitution for three separate incidents.
Gil Iphael, 25, of Copiague Street in Valley Stream, lured his victims to Queens locations for sex with the help of his co-defendant, then his victims were detained, assaulted, and robbed. In one instance, Iphael tried to cut off a man’s toe and threatened to mutilate his genitals.
“This defendant took part in a sadistic months-long crime spree, terrifying his victims and forcing one of them into prostitution,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The woman was held against her will and coerced to have sex with strangers for money.”
According to court records, on July 30, 2022, Iphael and Destiny Lebron, 20, of North Portland Avenue in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, 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 personal items. Iphael and Lebron repeatedly threatened to kill the victim’s family if he reported the crime to the NYPD.
“Two men, who were lured to different locations for sex, were beaten and threatened with heinous acts,” Katz said. “Iphael even warned his victims that if they told anyone, their families would be killed.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone sentenced Iphael to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“I thank the brave victims who came forward and helped us build this prosecution and bring this dangerous defendant to justice,” Katz said.
Lebron pleaded guilty in 2023 and is serving 13 years in prison, with five years of post-release supervision.
