By Forum Staff
Two Queens men have been convicted of kidnapping, raping and pimping out a 14-year-old female runaway for sex.
Differson Legrand, 39, of 99th Avenue, and Chilo Petit, 36, of 170 Street, have been convicted of second-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape and third-degree promoting prostitution after a two-week jury trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Stephanie Zaro.
Sentencing for the pair has been set for September 13, at which time the defendants each face each up to 25 years in prison.
According to trial testimony, the 14-year-old victim ran away from home and became involved in a sexual relationship with Petit during the fall of 2014 through June 2015. During this time, Petit took the victim to Legrand’s residence, locked her in a room and continued to have sex with her before having her engage in prostitution acts.
When Petit refused to no longer split the proceeds obtained by the victim through prostitution, she left the residence and returned to her home. A short while later, she ran into Legrand who took her back to his residence, had sex with her and made her continue to engage in prostitution.
When the victim later refused to “work” Legrand grabbed her by the neck, punched her in the face and told her that she had no choice but to work and make him money. Later that day, the victim snuck out of the defendant’s residence and eventually contacted her mother.
“As I said many times before, prostitution is not a victimless crime but a despicable offense against society and womanhood practiced by callous jackals who enslave young women without hope and victimize them a day at a time for their own financial benefit,” said District Attorney Brown. “These convictions ensure that these defendants are held accountable for their vile actions and demonstrates how seriously we take the victimization of young women.”
