A 43-year-old man from Bay Shore and a 37-year-old woman from Central Islip were charged with sex trafficking and other related charges, for the alleged commercial sexual exploitation of two female victims. The Bay Shore man was also indicted for allegedly raping a 13-year-old child numerous times.
Sometime in early 2023, the Bay Shore man is said to have met a 13-year-old girl through a mutual acquaintance, provided her with crack cocaine, and sexually abused her. The abuse continued until October 2023, after the victim had run away from a residential drug treatment facility and was found by police on October 8, 2023, in a hotel room with him.
Investigators charged the man with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful dealing with a child, both class A misdemeanors. Investigators confirmed that the charges stemmed from him being found in a hotel room with the child and having drugs in his possession as well.
The man was arraigned on those charges and released from jail without bail, both charges are considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law.
While that case was pending, law enforcement continued to investigate the full extent of the abuse that the 13-year-old victim had allegedly suffered.
Investigators say they discovered that between March 2023 and March 2024, the pair allegedly advertised and sold women for sex several times to various buyers, using heroin and crack cocaine as a method of maintaining control over at least one of the victims. The female defendant allegedly assisted by photographing and advertising the victim they controlled with drugs. Additionally, the male defendant took that victim’s identification and phone to prevent her from leaving or refusing to engage in sex for his own profit.
On March 3, 2024, the male defendant allegedly arranged to have a 20-year-old female victim meet him at a hotel room and provided that victim with crack cocaine. He did not let the victim leave the hotel room for two days, prompting her family to file a missing person report with authorities. At one point, he allegedly accused the victim of stealing crack cocaine from him and forced her to undress, shower, and then have sex with him as punishment. The female defendant allegedly filmed that rape, and they discussed a plan to use the video as an advertisement to sell the victim to sex buyers.
On March 5, 2024, the 20-year-old female victim was able to flee the hotel to call her family. The victim’s family then notified the police, who went and recovered the victim. Both defendants were arrested on March 14, 2024, after allegedly agreeing to provide a buyer with sex and drugs in exchange for money.
“Sex trafficking of a human being is heinous and intolerable, and these are serious allegations that we look forward to proving in court,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “I am committed to ensuring that our vulnerable populations are protected from predators who seek to violate and exploit women and children, by whatever lawful means available.”
The male defendant was indicted on 38 charges, 19 of them felonies and 16 of them violent felonies, including rape, sex trafficking, criminal sexual act, strangulation, and use of a child in a sexual performance.
The female defendant was indicted on five charges, four of them felonies, including sex trafficking and promoting of prostitution.
On April 11, 2024, they were arraigned on the indictment and the judge ordered the male defendant held without bail during the pendency of the case. He is due back in court on May 6, 2024. The judge ordered the female defendant held on $500,000 cash, $1 million bond, or $5 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. She is due back in court on May 9, 2024.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Dana Castaldo and Zachary Kelly of the Human Trafficking, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias Team (HEAT) Unit, and the investigation was conducted by members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit, the First, Third, and Sixth Squads of the Suffolk County Police Department, as well as Detective Investigators from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
