29-year-old Man Accused Of R@ping 13-year-old Boy In Stairwell After Meeting Him Online

A man identified as Ishmael Francis, from Brooklyn, USA, has been accused of r@ping a 13-year-old boy in the stairwell of a public housing building after the pair met online, prosecutors said.

The 29-year-old suspect was indicted on Monday, October 21 on two counts of second-degree r@pe and related charges after carrying out the attack on the young teen last month, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office said.

Francis and the little boy exchanged messages around 11 p.m. on September 18 before the suspect went to where the victim lives and lurked in the stairwell, prosecutors alleged.

When the boy walked down that stairwell to throw out the trash, the suspect allegedly s3xually assaulted him, the district attorney’s office said.

He then allegedly stole the victim’s phone and fled after he heard the 13-year-old’s family looking for him.  

The child was taken to Jacobi Hospital for treatment and the alleged perpetrator was arrested days later on September 24 after the online messages helped identify him, according to the district attorney’s office.

“This defendant is charged with r@ping a 13-year-old boy whom he engaged online and then went to his building,” District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement.

“This child has suffered trauma and we will do all we can to help him through this ordeal.”

Francis is also facing charges of two counts of third-degree r@pe, two counts of s3xual misconduct, endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree grand larceny.

Supervised release was extended for Francis during a court appearance on Monday . His next court date is Jan. 7, 2025.