N.Y. – Federal prosecutors on Thursday filed human sex trafficking charges against a New York City man accused of providing former NFL great Lawrence Taylor with a 16-year-old girl for sex at a Ramapo hotel for $300.
Rasheed Davis, whose long criminal record includes killing a teenage boy in 1991 when he fired a gun into a crowd, is accused of forcing the girl since April to have sex with various people for money, according to a federal complaint signed by FBI agent Mara Schneider.
The complaint states Davis also plied the girl with drugs before her sexual encounters and took photos of her nude for transmission to potential clients. The girl ran away from the home of her aunt and uncle in March. When arrested Thursday morning by the New York City Police Department in the Bronx with the girl, Davis possessed a handwritten note with the name of the Holiday Inn in Montebello and Room 160, where Taylor was staying, according to the complaint.
Ramapo police arrested Taylor on Thursday morning after Davis and the underage girl were arrested in the Bronx.
Ramapo police and the NYPD have so far declined to discuss who they think connected Davis with Taylor or if Davis knew he was delivering a girl for sex to the former football player. Taylor has been charged with third-degree rape on accusations of having sex with a minor and patronizing a prostitute. The case will be presented Monday to a Rockland grand jury. Taylor was told to return to Ramapo Town Court on June 10. Davis was accused of hitting the girl in the face before driving her against her will to the hotel where Taylor was staying, New York City police said.
Because federal prosecutors moved against Davis, an NYPD spokesman said Friday that the department’s charges against Davis would be dropped. Police had charged Davis with unlawful imprisonment, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
The federal complaint includes information from an interview with the girl. Two to three weeks ago, Davis offered her a place to live for $150 a week rent and told her he had a way for her to make money. Davis is accused of coercing the girl into having sex with strangers. He charged people $60 for oral sex and $150 for intercourse with the girl.
Davis also is accused of plying her with ecstasy and marijuana, prior to her sexual encounters. He also took nude photograhs of her on his cell phone, according to the complaint, and transmitted her photos to potential customers. The complaint states Davis acknowledged he received money from the girl’s having sex with people.
Rockland Chief Assistant District Attorney Arthur Ferraro, who attended Taylor’s arraignment on Thursday in Ramapo, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s involvement in the case was a positive sign. He said he couldn’t comment on any relationship between Taylor and Davis or if Taylor is involved in the federal investigation.
Be the first to comment