Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the conviction of Shymell Ephron. The jury found Ephron guilty of multiple charges, including two counts of enticing a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity and one count of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. Ephron also faced two counts of distributing methamphetamine to a minor. The trial took place before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett, and sentencing is scheduled for September 19, 2025.
Podolsky stated: "As a unanimous jury found, Shymell Ephron lured two runaway teenagers back to his apartment in Harlem, where he repeatedly raped and sexually abused them for five days while plying them with methamphetamine and alcohol. Thanks to the FBI and the NYPD, the girls were eventually found and returned to their parents. I commend these young women for the bravery they showed by testifying at trial. This Office is committed to keeping the children of New York City safe from sexual predators, and thanks to the hard work of the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, the support of victim services specialists of this Office, and the willingness of the victims to speak up, Ephron has now been convicted for his egregious conduct and will face justice for the harm he caused."
Evidence presented at the trial showed that between May 2024 and July 2024, Ephron was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine in New York City, including in Times Square. On May 17, 2024, Ephron approached two teenage girls in Times Square, who had run away from home, and convinced them to stay at his Harlem residence. Over several days, he committed multiple acts of rape and sexual abuse while providing them with drugs and alcohol. Ephron used a cell phone to monitor and communicate with the girls, persuading them to return to his apartment.
Ephron, 35, from New York, New York, faces significant prison time. Two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor carry mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years each, with a potential life sentence. The narcotics conspiracy charge could result in a maximum of 20 years in prison. Each count of distributing narcotics to a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one year, with a maximum potential of 40 years. Sentencing will be determined by the judge.
Podolsky praised the work of the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and the NYPD, as well as the assistance of the New York State Police and the Yorktown Police Department.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Lisa Daniels, Michael R. Herman, and Andrew W. Jones in charge.
