A Long Island man faces 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to forcing a woman into prostitution and then using her pictures to lure customers to a Queens hotel, who he then robbed and tortured, breaking one man’s toe, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Gil Iphael, 24, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, robbery and promoting prostitution for three incidents in which he and a female accomplice trapped a woman in a hotel room at the Quality Inn hotel at 153-95 Rockaway Blvd. and forced her into prostitution, and tortured and robbed two would-be customers between July 30 and Aug. 14, 2022.
“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 in a statement. “He threatened to kill the family members of victims if they reported the crimes. This defendant’s reign of violence and exploitation is now over, and he will face 20 years in prison for his actions.”
Iphael and his accomplice, Destiny Lebron, 21, befriended the woman on Instagram before meeting in person on July 30 and traveling to the Quality Inn hotel, where they told her she would either have to engage in prostitution or pose as a prostitute and help them rob people. When she refused they beat her and made her take photos of herself that they posted in online prostitution ads, and forced her into prostitution with several customers and kept all of the proceeds, according to court documents.
The victim was able to escape the next day when they left her alone in the hotel room.
Six days later, the couple lured a man in his 50s to the hotel room to engage in prostitution with Lebron, but after the man handed over the cash and undressed, Lebron threw bleach in his face and the duo beat him for several hours before stealing his phone, wallet and car keys. When the man refused to unlock his phone, Lebron burned him with a curling iron until he complied.
They also broke one of the man’s toes and threatened to kill him and his family if he told the police.
In another attack a week later on Aug. 14, they beat and robbed a 20-year-old-man who showed up at the hotel in response to a prostitution ad. They attempted to cut off the man’s toe and threatened to cut off his genitals.
Lebron pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to 13 years in prison to be followed by five years post-release supervision.
Iphael’s next court date is March 4, when he is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years post-release supervision.
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