Queens Man Charged with Rape and Sex Trafficking

A man from Queens was indicted on charges of rape and sex trafficking on Monday, following allegations that he assaulted and strangled a 25-year-old sex worker over nearly a year, according to prosecutors.

Leighton Jennings, 35, faces a seven-count indictment that details his abusive behavior. Officials claim he effectively imprisoned his victims, demanding payments of up to $1,000 a day. This was reported by the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutor Melinda Katz commented on the case, saying, “This defendant promised to help a young woman but instead subjected her to sex trafficking, months of violence, and sexual assault. In one incident, she was suffocated and lost consciousness. We thank the brave victim for coming forward.”

Prosecutors stated that Jennings encountered a young mother, living in a shelter with her baby, in July 2024. He allegedly offered housing and childcare in exchange for the earnings from her sex work, along with daily payments for her lodging.

However, the arrangement quickly soured. Jennings reportedly forced her to live with him and a disabled adult in an apartment at the Pomonok House public housing complex in Flushing. He allegedly would not allow the baby to stay with them and regularly subjected the victim to physical abuse, peaking with a strangulation incident on May 31 that prompted her to file charges.

Jennings was arrested on July 11 and faced felony charges on Monday.

This is not Jennings’ first run-in with the law. At just 24, he was charged in 2014 for allegedly punching openly gay journalist Randy Jenner in Manhattan, although that case was later sealed. Reports indicated that the incident unfolded after Jenelle, Jennings’ girlfriend at the time, had a confrontation with him on 34th Street, which escalated to violence, but the resolution remains unclear.