| |

Two charged in 'abhorrent sex-trafficking scheme' spanning CT, N.Y., and elsewhere

Jonathan Ruiz, also known as “Saiint,” 29, of Youngstown, Ohio, and Charline Santiago, 27, also of Youngstown, Ohio, were charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment after they forced multiple women in their mid-20s to engage in commercial sex acts in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Massachusetts, District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a release.

Ruiz was also charged with for forcing one of the women to produce videos on OnlyFans.com, a website where subscribers can pay creators for their photos and videos, Bragg's office said.

Ruiz and Santiago would then hide the profits in a limited liability company with a business address in Beacon Falls, according to state records and Bragg's office.

At one point, Ruiz moved multiple women to a house in Connecticut, Bragg's office said.

The two coerced these women by beating them, brandishing a firearm, withholding their personal identifying documents, forcing them to take cocaine and more, Bragg's office said.

“These horrific allegations detail an abhorrent sex-trafficking scheme that preyed on vulnerable people so the ringleaders could turn a profit,” Bragg said. “The internet gives traffickers new ways to exploit people through economic, emotional, physical and psychological coercion.”

“We will continue to hold accountable those who engaged in this type of criminal activity, while also continuing our work to ensure that survivors have the services and support they need to recover and move beyond the trauma they have faced,” Bragg added.

Bragg described Ruiz and Santiago as “intimate partners with children in common.”

Court documents allege that, from February 2020 to February 2021, Ruiz and Santiago worked together to profit from forced commercial sexual acts. Ruiz would post advertisements for the women and drove them to work at hotels and other locations in the northeast. Santiago would often wait outside of hotels to accept the payments, Bragg's office said.

Ruiz pressured these women into prostitution through cruel beatings. He would allegedly hurt the women if they did not want to work, stashed money to save, attempted to flee or fell asleep when he wanted them to work. The beatings frequently resulted in black eyes, bruises and lacerations with long-lasting scars. At least one beating was at the direction of Santiago, according to Bragg's office.

Ruiz also owned a firearm and, at least once, displayed it to the women, Bragg's office said.

Along with the scheme, Ruiz and Santiago withheld the women's government IDs, birth certificates and Social Security cards to prevent them from fleeing. They also used these documents to fraudulently obtain government benefits and loans in their names. Ruiz's emails and bank records indicted that he used these documents to collect thousands of dollars in state and federal benefits in the women's names, according to Bragg's office.

Ruiz also made the women take cocaine while working in order to stay awake and earn more money. If the women didn't earn enough in a day, Ruiz would beat them or sometimes not allow them to eat, Bragg's office said.

Court documents allege Ruiz also forced one woman to take nude photos, create sexual videos and speak with clients on OnlyFans. He threatened to strike the woman if she did not comply, and he kept all of the proceeds, according to Bragg's office and the indictment.

Bragg's office said the pair took “extensive steps to conceal and advance the conspiracy” by creating a limited liability company in Connecticut. The company, New Road Management, LLC, lists the business address as a home in Beacon Falls. Both Ruiz and Santiago are listed as executive officers, state records show.

The two also issued fraudulent pay stubs and maintained extensive transaction records between themselves and clients, according to Bragg's office.

Ruiz was charged with fourth-degree conspiracy, four counts of , labor trafficking, two counts of second-degree promoting prostitution and third-degree promoting prostitution.

Santiago was charged with fourth-degree conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of second-degree promoting prostitution and third-degree promoting prostitution.

Both Ruiz and Santiago pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday. The two are scheduled to appear Sept. 8 in New York Supreme Court, according to court records.

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

Human Trafficking training course: Human Trafficking Essentials Online Certificate Human Trafficking Course
Human Trafficking Essentials

ABOUT

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.

 

EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.