(RIVERHEAD, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini announced that a Bloods gang member was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison for conducting a sex trafficking operation in Suffolk County from 2014 to 2018.
“This is a dangerous individual who victimized dozens of women for his own personal gain,” District Attorney Sini said. “Investigating and prosecuting human traffickers is a top priority of my administration, and this sentence sends a clear message that these predators will be held accountable. Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Scheier, Elizabeth Moran and Veronica McMahon did an outstanding job bringing this defendant to justice and ensuring that he received the maximum prison sentence for his crimes.”
Abiodun “Abi” Adeleke, 33, of Kings Park, was convicted by a jury on Dec. 17, 2019, of two counts of Sex Trafficking as a class B violent felony; three counts of Sex Trafficking as a class B felony; Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a class D felony; and Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor.
Adeleke was sentenced yesterday by Suffolk County Court Judge Timothy Mazzei to the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison with 20 years of post-release supervision.
An investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Human Trafficking Team revealed evidence that from January 2014 through August 2018, Adeleke was engaged in a sex trafficking operation throughout Suffolk County. The investigation revealed evidence of several individuals believed to be victims of Adeleke, however the jury trial pertained to his conduct with respect to two separate victims.
Adeleke kept victims under his control by way of providing them with narcotic drugs; using threats and physical acts of violence; and creating purported debts that the victims had to pay off by working for him. Adeleke forced his victims to perform prostitution at various local hotels and motels.
The investigation also revealed that on one occasion, Adeleke provided heroin to one of his victims that caused her to suffer a non-fatal overdose.
Adeleke was arrested by Suffolk County Police on Aug. 31, 2018, at the Holiday Inn, located at 215 Sunnyside Blvd. in Plainview.
Opening statements in the trial took place on Dec. 2, 2019. The jury deliberated for approximately one day before returning a verdict of guilty on all counts on Dec. 17, 2019.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Scheier, Elizabeth Moran and Veronica McMahon, of the Enhanced Prosecution Bureau.