Danny St. Louis, 45, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in state prison for raping a 13-year-old girl he deliberately addicted to crack cocaine and for sex-trafficking two other women on Long Island, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
Background
St. Louis, a Bay Shore resident, began grooming Emmarae Gervasi in early 2023 after meeting her through a mutual acquaintance, prosecutors said. He first provided her with cocaine before escalating to crack cocaine, which she became dependent on—a pattern that gave him control over the teenager.
He sexually abused the child three separate times throughout that year, according to court documents. The abuse continued until October 2023, when Gervasi ran away from a residential drug treatment facility and was found by police in a hotel room with St. Louis.
At that time, St. Louis faced misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful dealing with a child—offenses not eligible for bail under New York law. He was subsequently released.
In December 2024, Gervasi went missing again for 25 days before her father, Frank, found her aboard a 56-foot yacht docked at Whitecap Marina in Islip. Prosecutors alleged she had been held captive and repeatedly raped by multiple adult men on the vessel.
The Charges
St. Louis pleaded guilty in May to rape and sex trafficking charges after authorities arrested him in 2024 when he attempted to sell victims for sex to an undercover officer, prosecutors said.
In a separate incident, St. Louis also held a 20-year-old woman captive for more than two days at the Radisson Hotel in Hauppauge, prosecutors alleged. He accused her of stealing crack cocaine from him and forced her to undress, shower, and have sex with him to repay her supposed debt while a co-defendant filmed the assault—with plans to use the video to advertise her to sex buyers online, according to the DA's office.
St. Louis was arrested nine days after that victim managed to escape the hotel and contact her family.
An 83-count indictment charging 11 people with kidnapping, child sex trafficking, and rape for their alleged actions against Gervasi was unsealed in Suffolk County Criminal Court in Riverhead last year. Cases against 10 of the accused men remain active.
Key Takeaways
- St. Louis sentenced to 15 years for raping a minor he addicted to crack cocaine and sex-trafficking two women
- He groomed Emmarae Gervasi starting in early 2023, escalating from cocaine to crack to gain control over her
- Sexually abused the child three times before she was found with him at a hotel in October 2023
- Also held a 20-year-old woman captive at a Hauppauge hotel and filmed her rape to advertise her online
- Ten co-defendants charged in separate but related case involving Gervasi remain under prosecution
What's Next
St. Louis will serve his sentence in state prison. The cases against the ten remaining defendants charged in connection with Emmarae Gervasi's alleged abduction and abuse aboard the yacht are ongoing in Suffolk County Criminal Court.