Andrew Fakhoury, 23, of Yonkers, N.Y. Prosecutors said that Fakhoury began forcing young women into prostitution in New York before moving his operation to Rhode Island in October of 2008 to take advantage of a loophole in state law that allowed indoor prostitution, until it was banned in 2009. Fakhoury eventually moved into an apartment in Providence’s Elmhurst section with one of those women and advertised her on Craigslist. So far, four victims have come to light; the youngest was 16 years old, and the oldest was 19. Two of the victims were from Yonkers, one was from upstate, and the fourth was from out of state. All were described as middle class kids with good grades – attractive yet emotionally vulnerable. One victim was promised a job as a waitress in Rhode Island on the beach. Using drugs and abusing the women, Fakhoury and his alleged cohort, Joseph Defeis, celebrated the thug life in several music videos posted on YouTube last year. Fakhoury called himself “Kash” and Defeis was “Jemz,” rapping in videos of them cruising around Providence in a black SUV, flashing fistfuls of $100 bills, and bragging that they were gangsters. With sunglasses perched on his nose and a large crucifix swinging from his neck, Fakhoury bragged: “Tell my lawyer, just eat the case.” A woman gyrated around a stripper pole in another video, as Fakhoury and Defeis rapped: “I keep a couple hos from around my way.” Providence police said the men beat the girls, kept close tabs on their cell phone calls, and treated them like merchandise.
Location
United States · Providence, Rhode Island · 2011
(location generalized to protect survivors) Response & intervention
Fakhoury and Joseph Defeis originally pleaded not guilty. Sources told CBS 2 they changed their pleas to guilty after being threatened with federal prosecution. The case against Joseph Defeis is still pending. Fakhoury pleaded nolo contendere in Providence Superior Court to three counts of human trafficking, three counts of pandering, and two counts of conspiracy to commit human trafficking. Fakhoury showed no expression as Magistrate Judge William McAtee sentenced him on April 13, 2011 to 20 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions, with 10 to serve, in the first case charged under Rhode Island’s human-trafficking law. Fakhoury received a 10-year suspended sentence for two counts of conspiracy, and five years suspended for three counts of pandering. The state dismissed two charges of rape, three counts of human trafficking, conspiracy, and possession with intent to deliver drugs.
One of the victim’s mother’s got brief calls from her daughter. The mother asked the Yonkers Police Department for help.Providence Police, tipped off by Yonkers Police, eventually arrested Fakhoury and co-defendant Joseph Defeis after a sting operation Capt. John Mueller said that they found the young woman advertised in the adult section of backpage.com, an Internet site with classified advertisements. She had a fake name, an offer for “upscale gentlemen,” and a phone number with a Massachusetts area code. The road led to Providence, in a second-floor apartment at 123 Pinehurst Ave., in October 2010. Within days, Providence police Sgt. Patrick McNulty, Detectives Peter Conley and Richard Ruggiero arranged for a “date” with the young woman. She was recognized when she opened the door. She was taken into custody when she offered to perform sex acts for money.
Aftercare was not reported. The victims knew Fahkoury from their hometown in Yonkers, N.Y., someone they’d once loved and trusted.“The Andy I knew growing up … turned into a completely different person. He thought he was a gangster and a pimp,” one woman, now 20, read in trembling voice. “You made me feel worthless.” Another victim, now 20, was so traumatized at the thought of seeing Fakhoury again that she didn’t come to court. She’s ashamed to be in her own body. The drugs and alcohol that Fakhoury fed her put her in a darker hole. “It feels like nothing will ever be the same,” Assistant Attorney General Bethany Macktaz read from the woman’s e-mail.
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