An East New York man has been charged with the alleged rape and attempted sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl d, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
The defendant, 29-year-old Deandre Lee, was arraigned May 22 before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an indictment in which he is charged with attempted sex trafficking of a child, second-, third- and fourth-degree attempted promoting prostitution, third-degree rape, third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. Lee allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl and tried to get her to engage in prostitution, according to the DA’s office.
According to an investigation, the victim met Lee when she was walking on Mother Gaston Boulevard in East New York on April 28. Lee allegedly offered to let the girl charge her phone in his car, then drove her to a local Chipotle to get some food.
Afterwards, Lee allegedly stopped the car on the side of a Brooklyn highway, gave her marijuana, and raped her. Before driving her home, he insinuated the girl could make money by stripping or selling her body, according to the DA.
The 15-year-old girl reported the alleged rape to police the following day after receiving text messages from Lee in which he allegedly asked her again if she was interested in his proposal to engage in sex work.
Lee was arrested in the Bronx on May 21, in the Bronx after an investigation. At his May 22 court hearing, Lee was ordered to be held on bail of $100,000 cash or $500,000 bond. He pled not guilty on all charges, per court records, and is due to appear in court again on Aug. 7.
“This defendant allegedly exploited a vulnerable teenager, trying to convince her to engage in prostitution,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Luckily, she reported him to the police. We will now seek to bring him to justice.”
If convicted of the top charge, child sex trafficking, Lee could face up to 25 years in prison, and would be made to register as a sex offender in New York State.
Per court records, Lee has been arrested three times in seven months — he was first arrested on Oct. 7, 2023 and charged with criminal possession of a loaded firearm, using alcohol or cannabis in a moving vehicle on a highway, and more. On March 27, 2024, he was arrested again on multiple charges including displaying improper license plates, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession and intent to sell narcotics.
A number of Brooklyn locals have been charged in relation to sex trafficing in East New York over the last few years — in February, a couple was indicted for sex trafficking a teen girl in the neighborhood. A year earlier, a California man was charged after allegedly convincing a teen girl to engage in prostitution in the neighborhood, just two months after two men were arrested for reportedly coercing a girl to work as a prostitute.
