A Manhattan man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sex trafficking a 14-year-old girl. According to an official announcement from Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Akeem Lee, 36, will also serve five years of post-release supervision and will be required to register as a sex offender upon release. The statement from the District Attorney’s Office said that Lee used physical abuse and threats to compel the victim into sex work.
The girl was coerced into prostitution through a network of pimps connected to Lee. She was reportedly forced to see up to 22 clients a day at the 7 Days Hotel at 2338 Bruckner Blvd., which operated as a brothel. According to trial testimonies, Lee met the victim at a Bronx subway station, and she began working for him from June 2019 to November 2022. Testimonies indicated that Lee physically abused the girl and threatened her with death if she contacted the police. An undercover investigation initiated in January 2021 resulted in charges against Lee, three other pimps, and three hotel staff members in 2023. Clark stated that the conviction and sentence reflect efforts to hold perpetrators accountable and support victims of sex trafficking.
The other individuals involved in the case received different sentences. Co-defendant Anthony Reyes pleaded guilty to fifth-degree Conspiracy and was sentenced to three years of probation. Hotel employees Robert Olaguibel, Golam Rabbani, and Patrick Walker pleaded guilty to fourth-degree Criminal Facilitation and were each sentenced to three years of probation. Marvin Flint pleaded guilty to fourth-degree Conspiracy and was sentenced to nine years in prison.
The prosecution involved Major Case Assistant District Attorney Jacquelynn Guzman and Assistant District Attorney Patrick Marshall from the Human Trafficking Unit. The case was overseen by Stephen Knoepfler and Adrienne Giunta, deputy chief of the Special Victims Division. Assistant District Attorney Johnathan Vega, currently with the Homicide Bureau, along with other officials, participated in the case. Detectives Denis Regimbal and Mark Shackel from the NYPD Human Trafficking Team were involved in the investigation of the trafficking ring.
