You are reading

Elmhurst Man Indicted on Child Sex Trafficking Charges for Forcing Girlfriend Into Prostitution

iStock

Aug. 10, 2022 By Christian Murray

A 24-year-old Elmhurst man has been indicted on child sex trafficking charges for bringing his 17-year-old girlfriend into the country from Mexico and allegedly forcing her to have sex with strangers for cash.

Orlando Ramirez, of 43rd Avenue, allegedly forced the victim between September 2019 and July 2022 to engage in prostitution on an almost daily basis in various locations in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Long Island and New Jersey.

Ramirez, who had a child with the victim, allegedly took all the proceeds that she earned. He also assaulted her and strangled her when she said she no longer wanted to participate in prostitution, according to the charges.

Ramirez was arraigned Tuesday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone on a 13-count indictment charging him with two counts of sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a child, compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution in the second degree, assault in the second and third degree, strangulation in the second degree, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, menacing in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and endangering the welfare of a child.

If convicted, Ramirez faces up to 25 years in prison.

According to the charges, Ramirez threatened to kill his girlfriend and her family in Mexico when she refused to engage in prostitution.

During the early hours on July 11, 2022, she told him that she wanted to leave him because she wanted a better life for herself and their infant child.

Ramirez allegedly grew angry and pushed her against the wall, placed his hand around her neck and applied pressure that impeded her normal breathing.  As he continued to strangle her, he displayed a kitchen knife and pointed it at her and threatened her.

He also hit her in the face with his sneaker causing redness inside her eye.

She managed to push herself away and attempted to flee the apartment that they shared but was stabbed by the defendant in her leg with the kitchen knife, causing bleeding and a laceration to her leg. The knife then broke in two pieces.

District Attorney Melinda Katz said that after the victim was stabbed, she managed to escape from the apartment at around 2 a.m. and ran to the 110th police precinct with her infant daughter.  As the defendant ran after the victim, he was apprehended by police in front of the precinct.

The victim was taken to a local Queens hospital where she underwent treatment for her injuries, which required her to receive several stitches to the laceration to her leg.

Ramirez is now in custody and his next court date is Sept. 12.

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Queens DA, elected officials highlight recent scams targeting older adults, add advice on self-protection

Two days after Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced she had brought charges against a Flushing man for scamming more than $600,000 from seniors across the country, her office hosted a presentation at the Ridgewood Older Adult Center on Mar. 12 to coach participants on how they can avoid being victims of similar schemes.

“Education is key to preventing fraudulent activity, particularly among the senior population,” Katz said. “To this end, my office has been actively engaging with senior centers across the borough, providing insights on the warning signs of common scams.”

Northeast Queens house burglar remains at large nearly a month after breaking into two homes: NYPD

Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are still searching for a man who broke into two homes last month in Kew Gardens Hills and Murray Hill, making off with more than $10,000 in cash and jewelry.

The burglar first struck on the evening of Monday, Feb. 26, when he entered a private residence near 138th Street and 62nd Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills, just two blocks south of the Long Island Expressway. The suspect broke into the home by breaking a rear window at around 7 p.m. Once inside, he allegedly removed jewelry valued at approximately $2,000 before running off in an unknown direction, police said.

Queens cop indicted in fatal collision that killed a construction worker on Grand Central Parkway last April: AG

A city cop from Jamaica was arrested on Friday and booked at the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill, where he was charged with manslaughter and other crimes for a fatal collision last April.

NYPD Officer Paul Tyler, 24, was arraigned hours later in Queens Supreme Court on an indictment charging him with manslaughter, and criminally negligent homicide for allegedly striking a highway construction worker on the Grand Central Parkway on the morning of Apr. 26, 2023, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced.