A 65-year-old man has been indicted by a grand jury in connection with the alleged sex trafficking of a Long Island teenager who has been missing for nearly a month, Suffolk County prosecutors said Thursday.
Francis Buckheit, who was arrested last weekend on rape and kidnapping charges, is scheduled to be arraigned next week in the case of 14-year-old Emarae Gervasi, who disappeared from her Patchogue home on Dec. 9. . It surfaced on a boat docked in Islip last week.
Buckheit's lawyer, Daniel Papa, spoke with reporters afterwards.
“He's emotional. He says he maintains his innocence,” Papa told the Post. “These are very serious charges, but as any individual charged with a crime, he deserves the presumption of innocence. He intends to fight these charges to the best of his ability.
“There are many more stories than are being told.” said Papa.
Police and prosecutors have not confirmed a link between Gervasi's mysterious disappearance and Buckheit, but the boy's father said his daughter was sex trafficked and drug-smuggled by “unsavory individuals.” Ta.
Frank Gervasi said Emma had struggled with substance abuse in the past and was wearing a monitoring ankle bracelet when she left her parents' home and got into a car with an unidentified man.
Surveillance video shows the girl knocking on the door of a Bohemia motel the next day and then disappearing again until her father gets a tip and rescues her from a boat at a marina in Islip. did.
He said his daughter was traumatized and was recovering from the weeks-long ordeal.
Prosecutors have not said whether there may be more suspects in the case.
The indictment against Buckheit, which includes a Jan. 3 arrest for drunk driving, is expected to be unsealed when he appears in court next week, authorities said.
Meanwhile, Papa said he was still sorting out the charges against his client.
“We will have further discussions with him to find out what exactly he is saying.” [happened]” the lawyer said outside the courtroom. “This incident is relatively new. We are still investigating and there is much more work that needs to be done at this particular point.”
