A Manhattan man has been found guilty of systemic sexual abuse against two teenage girls and conspiring to distribute narcotics to minors. The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York released a statement saying Shymell Ephron, known as “Shy”, was convicted on serious charges following a trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett. The verdict was handed down yesterday, with Ephron facing decades behind bars.
The details, as shared in a press release from the US Attorney's Office, reveal that Ephron lured the teenagers to his Harlem apartment in May 2024. During the time they were held there, they were subjected to repeated sexual attacks and forcibly given drugs such as methamphetamine and alcohol. These actions resulted in Ephron's convictions on charges of enticing minors and distributing narcotics. Ephron's sentencing is set for September 19.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky praised the verdict and emphasized the impact on the young victims involved: "As a unanimous jury found, Shymell Ephron lured two runaway teenagers back to his apartment in Harlem, where he repeatedly raped and sexually abused them for five days while plying them with methamphetamine and alcohol," as stated in the press release. Podolsky further commended the victims for their courage in bearing witness at the trial, marking the achievement as a victory in the fight to safeguard New York City's children from sexual predators.
The prosecution's case, supported by the FBI's Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and the NYPD, presented evidence that between May and July 2024, Ephron was actively engaging in a narcotics distribution network, pushing drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine in Times Square, among other locations. After approaching the girls in Times Square, the testimony obtained from the trial underlined how Ephron had offered them a cellphone, initially presented as a means to monitor their whereabouts, the intent was ultimately to exert further control over them. The successful recovery of the girls and their return to their parents was made possible through the diligent efforts of law enforcement.
Shymell Ephron, 35, is facing a minimum of ten years to a maximum of life in prison for each count of coercion and enticement of a minor, with further sentencing related to the narcotics charges. Ephron’s convictions carry harsh mandatory minimums and maximum potential sentences, as proscribed by Congress. The Violent & Organized Crime Unit is handling the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Lisa Daniels, Michael R. Herman, and Andrew W. Jones lead the prosecution team. With the trial now concluded and a conviction secured, the justice system awaits the final word on Ephron's sentence later this year.
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