NEW YORK – Two people have been arrested after allegedly taking advantage of women while violently forcing them to engage in sexual acts across the country and even posting content on the OnlyFans website.
Jonathan Ruiz and Charline Santiago allegedly ran a sex trafficking operation that spanned six states, including New York City, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Ruiz, 29, and Santiago, 27, a couple with children, conspired to traffic women in their 20s in all three tri-states, as well as Delaware, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, Bragg said.
According to court documents and statements, the sex trafficking would have happened for a year, from February 2020 to February 2021, and the couple benefited from the sexual acts that the women allegedly were forced to perform.
Santiago often took the women to hotels and waited outside, accepting payment in cash or CashApp.
Ruiz allegedly beat the women, brandished a gun, hid his personal identification, even forced them to take cocaine, according to prosecutors.
Ruiz and Santiago were able to disguise their earnings by establishing an LLC in Connecticut, listing themselves as executives. The couple, from Ohio, fraudulently issued pay stubs and kept extensive records of transactions between themselves and customers.
At one point, Ruiz allegedly moved some of the women to a house in Connecticut. He then allegedly forced women into prostitution by beating them if they didn’t want to work, or if they hid money to save, tried to escape or fell asleep when he wanted them to work, according to court documents. Many women ended up with black eyes and other bruises, with deep cuts and scars.
If the women did not earn a specific amount of money on a given day, Ruiz allegedly beat them or did not allow them to eat, and forced them to use cocaine to stay awake and earn more.
To prevent the women from running away, the couple would keep all government forms and identification, including birth certificates and social security cards, prosecutors said. The couple would then use the information to obtain government benefits and loans in their name, with Ruiz collecting thousands in state and federal benefits earmarked for the women, emails and bank records showed.
Ruiz forced one of the women to take nude photos, create sex videos and talk to clients on OnlyFans.com, the charges allege, after he created an account without the women’s knowledge or consent.
Ruiz and Santiago were charged with conspiracy, sex trafficking and promotion of prostitution. Ruiz was also charged with labor trafficking after forcing a woman to make OnlyFans videos.
“These horrific accusations detail a heinous sex trafficking scheme that preyed on vulnerable people so that ringleaders could make a profit,” said District Attorney Bragg. “The Internet gives traffickers new ways to exploit people through economic, emotional, physical, and psychological coercion.”
Information from Ruiz and Santiago’s attorney was not immediately clear.
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