A Bronx man is accused of raping a 13-year-old boy in the stairwell of a public housing building after the two met online, prosecutors said.
Ishmael Francis, 29, was indicted Monday on two counts of second-degree rape and related charges after carrying out the sick attack on the young teen last month, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office said.
Francis and the boy exchanged messages around 11 p.m. on September 18 before the suspect went to the Sotomayor Houses in Soundview, where the victim lives, and lurked in the stairwell, prosecutors alleged.
When the boy walked down the stairwell to throw out the trash, the suspect allegedly sexually assaulted him, the Public Prosecution Service said.
He then allegedly stole the victim’s phone and fled after hearing the 13-year-old’s family calling for him.
The child was taken to Jacobi Hospital for treatment and the alleged perpetrator was arrested days later on September 24 after online messages helped identify him, the district attorney’s office said.
“This suspect is accused of raping a 13-year-old boy whom he enticed online and then went to his building,” District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement.
“This child has suffered trauma and we will do everything we can to help him through this ordeal.”
Francis is also charged with two counts of third-degree rape, two counts of sexual misconduct endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree grand larceny.
Francis’ supervised release was extended during a court hearing on Monday in the Bronx. His next court date is January 7, 2025.
