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NEW YORK (AP) — Nine people have been indicted in a child sex trafficking case involving a teen girl found last month on a boat docked at a New York marina following a nearly monthlong disappearance.
The seven men and two women pleaded not guilty during their arraignments in Suffolk County court in Riverhead on Thursday, according to Timothy Finnerty, a court spokesperson.
They face a range of charges, including child sex trafficking, kidnapping, rape and endangering the welfare of the child, online court records show.
Prosecutors told the judge the defendants took advantage of a vulnerable 14-year-old, raping her multiple times and marketing her for sex, Newsday reports.
The teen, who The Associated Press is not naming because she is a minor, disappeared for about 25 days.
She was seen on surveillance video leaving her house on Long Island, a suburban region east of New York City, and getting into a car on Dec. 9. She was eventually found by her father on a yacht docked at a marina in Islip on Jan. 3.
The father has told local news outlets he received an anonymous tip about his daughter’s location after posting about her disappearance on social media and offering a reward of up to $15,000.
Spokespersons for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, didn’t respond to emails and messages seeking comment this week.
Among Thursday’s defendants was Daniel Burke, a Long Island man who prosecutors say was among the men who had sex with the teen. He faces kidnapping, rape and other charges.
“Fortunately our justice system is based on facts and evidence,” Oscar Crisafio, Burke’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement. “And the evidence in this case, in the words of the actual complainant, suggests that she was never held against her will.”
Ralph Knowles, another Long Island resident, was charged with rape and other counts, according to online court records.
“Ralph looks forward to receiving discovery in a timely manner and his day in court where the truth will prevail,” his lawyer Chase Brown said in an emailed statement.
Other defendants in the case have also denied the charges, Newsday reports.
Three of them were remanded to the county jail Thursday, while the six others had their previously set bail increased by the judge, according to the newspaper.
Three additional defendants have also been charged in connection with the case, but are not included in the initial indictment, Newsday reports.
Among them is a staffer at a state mental health facility who prosecutors say groped the girl while she was receiving inpatient treatment following the ordeal.
He’s been charged with criminal sexual contact with a person incapable of consent and endangering the welfare of a child.
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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.
