New York dad who rescued daughter from being sex-trafficked sues for $10 million over what allegedly happened to her in psych ward
A dad who rescued his missing daughter is suing for $10 million after his child was allegedly assaulted on two psych wards.
In December 2024, Emmarae Gervasi, from East Patchogue in Suffolk County Long Island, was reported missing by her parents.
Emmarae was just 14 years old at the time and her father, Frank Gervasi, took to social media to appeal for information about where his daughter was.
Ultimately Frank got an anonymous tip-off that lead him to the whereabout of his teenager daughter, and he found her on a large boat docked on Long Island after she'd been missing for almost a month.
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During her disappearance, Emmarae was reportedly held captive and was repeatedly raped by adult men, the New York Post reports. A handful of men have been charged in relation to the harrow case, one being Daniel Soto, 37.
The young girl was then sent to two separate psychiatric wards after her horrific experiences for treatment.
Now, her father says that Emmarae was assaulted during the time she was on these wards.
With the allegations in mind, Frank has filed a lawsuit against Suffolk County and New York State for $10 million.
Per the lawsuit, Frank claims he was assured by officials that his daughter was safe despite the fact that one of the wards had been warned that an employee, named as Deshaun McClean, was being 'a little too handsy with the minor'.
This same employee reportedly sexually assaulted Emmarae just days later.
After the traumatic experience, Emma was then transferred to a different ward, Brentwood House, but she was reportedly assaulted once more by a different member of staff, named as Joseph Edward.
According to The Post, McClean and Joyner were both charged with sex crimes against a minor.
With Emmarae's reported experiences in mind, her father is suing for $10,000,000.
The lawsuit states: "The Father was encouraged and reassured by the Country of Suffolk and the Court, that this was safe and in [Emmarae’s] best interest to be placed in [Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric and later Brentwood Residential Center] facilities."
It adds: "The minor was in a zone of danger, and despite that knowledge, [officials] took no steps to protect the minor."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.
Niamh Shackleton