'Sadistic' crime spree leads to 20-year prison sentence for Valley Stream man, DA says
"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 in a statement Wednesday regarding defendant Gil Iphael, 25, of Valley Stream. Credit: Charles Eckert
A Valley Stream man on Wednesday was sentenced to 20 years in prison for luring victims for sex and then kidnapping, assaulting and robbing them, including forcing one into prostitution, burning another with a curling iron and threatening a third with mutilation, prosecutors said.
Gil Iphael, 25, previously pleaded guilty for multiple crimes in connection with the three incidents over a two-month period in 2022.
"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 in a statement. "The woman was held against her will and coerced to have sex with strangers for money. Two men, who were lured to different locations for sex, were beaten and threatened with heinous acts. Iphael even warned his victims that if they told anyone, their families would be killed."
Iphael’s attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday.
Iphael pleaded guilty in February to two counts of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree promoting prostitution.
State Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone on Wednesday also sentenced Iphael to 5 years of post-release supervision.
Iphael’s co-defendant, Destiny Lebron, pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
The crime spree began on July 30, 2022, when Iphael and Lebron went to pick up a woman with whom Lebron had exchanged sexually charged messages and photos on Instagram.
The two had also "engaged in prostitution-related conversations," prosecutors said.
"Iphael and Lebron took the woman to the Quality Inn hotel at 153-95 Rockaway Blvd., where the woman was told that she would either help Iphael and Lebron rob victims lured there by Lebron, posing as a woman engaged in prostitution, or she would have to engage in prostitution herself and turn over the money to the defendants," prosecutors said in a news release.
Iphael and Lebron "slapped, punched and threatened her" when she refused to prostitute herself, prosecutors said. "They coerced her to take pictures of herself and used photos on her phone for online prostitution ads," the news release said. "That evening, several clients showed up at the hotel and the victim performed sex acts with the men. Iphael and Lebron kept all the money from the clients."
The victim escaped on July 31, 2022, when the defendants left her alone in the hotel room, prosecutors said.
About a week later, Lebron threw bleach in the face of a man in his 50s who had responded to an ad selling sex that featured the woman's picture, prosecutors said.
"Iphael and Lebron restrained the man and continued assaulting him for several hours," the news release said. "Iphael reached into a bag and threatened to kill the victim, leading the victim to believe that Iphael had a gun. The defendants then took the man’s car keys, phone and wallet. When the victim refused to unlock his phone, Lebron burned him with a curling iron until he complied."
Iphael and Lebron stole the victim’s car and made multiple ATM withdrawals from his bank account.
"The defendants broke one of the man’s toes and repeatedly threatened to kill the man’s family if he contacted the police," the news release said.
More than a week later, Iphael and Lebron beat another man, who was in his 20s and had answered an online ad for prostitution with a photo of Lebron, prosecutors said. The defendants also attempted to cut off one of his toes and threatened him with mutilation, prosecutors said.
The pair held a pillow over his face and continued to assault him, prosecutors said, and also withdrew money from his account at a nearby ATM and stole his wallet, debit card and driver’s license, prosecutors said.
"The defendants repeatedly threatened to kill the victim’s family if he reported the crime to police," the news release said.
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
'Just disappointing and ... sad' The proportion of drivers who refused to take a test after being pulled over by trained officers doubled over five years. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
Top Stories
'Just disappointing and ... sad' The proportion of drivers who refused to take a test after being pulled over by trained officers doubled over five years. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
