Two individuals have been arrested after allegedly preying on girls as they violently compelled them to interact in intercourse acts throughout the nation, and even submit content material on the web site OnlyFans, in accordance with the Manhattan district legal professional’s workplace.
Jonathan Ruiz and Charline Santiago allegedly ran a intercourse trafficking operation that spanned six states, together with in New York Metropolis, in accordance with Manhattan District Legal professional Alvin Bragg. The 29-year-old Ruiz and 27-year-old Santiago, a pair with youngsters, conspired to site visitors the ladies in their mid-20s all through the tri-state, in addition to in Delaware, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, Bragg mentioned.
In line with court docket paperwork and statements, the trafficking occurred for a 12 months from Feb. 2020 to Feb. 2021, with the couple making the most of the intercourse acts they allegedly compelled the ladies into. Santiago usually drove the ladies to motels and waited outdoors, accepting cost in money or on CashApp.
Ruiz would beat the ladies, brandish a gun, withhold their private identification — even drive them to take cocaine, in accordance with prosecutors.
Ruiz and Santiago allegedly disguised their income by establishing an LLC in Connecticut, itemizing themselves as executives. The couple, from Ohio, fraudulently issued pay stubs and maintained intensive information of transactions between them and shoppers.
At one level, Ruiz moved among the girls to a home in Connecticut. He would drive the ladies into prostitution by hitting them in the event that they did not need to work, or in the event that they stashed cash to save lots of, tried to flee or fell asleep when he needed them to work, court docket paperwork confirmed. Many ladies suffered black eyes and different bruises, with cuts and deep scars.
If the ladies didn’t earn a particular sum of money in a given day, Ruiz allegedly beat or starved them — or would drive them to make use of cocaine to remain awake and earn extra.
To forestall the ladies from working away, the couple would hold any authorities types and IDs, together with delivery certificates and social safety playing cards, prosecutors mentioned.
The couple would then use the data to get authorities advantages and loans in their identify, with Ruiz amassing 1000’s in state and federal advantages supposed for the ladies, emails and financial institution information confirmed.
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One of many girls was compelled by Ruiz to take nude photographs, create intercourse movies and converse with shoppers on OnlyFans.com, in accordance with the fees, after he created an account with out the ladies’s data or consent.
Ruiz and Santiago have been charged with conspiracy, intercourse trafficking and selling prostitution. Ruiz was additionally charged with labor trafficking after allegedly forcing the one lady to make OnlyFans movies.
“These horrific allegations detail an abhorrent sex trafficking scheme that preyed on vulnerable people so the ringleaders could turn a profit,” mentioned District Legal professional Bragg. “The Internet gives traffickers new ways to exploit people through economic, emotional, physical and psychological coercion.”
Legal professional info for Ruiz and Santiago was not instantly clear.