NEW JERSEY
CentralJersey.com
Two individuals who allegedly forced a child into commercial sex acts at multiple hotels throughout Middlesex, Bergen and Essex counties appeared in court on April 10 with one of their alleged customers to face federal sex trafficking charges.
Richard Ortiz, 22, and Gabriella Colon, 18, both of the Bronx, New York, are charged by complaint with two counts of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transporting a minor in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution, according to information provided by U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.
Aryeh Goodman, 35, of East Brunswick, is charged in a separate complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a child.
According to the complaints, Colon allegedly used her friendship with a 17-year-old girl from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to convince her to visit Colon in New York in January. Colon allegedly was prostituting herself to support herself and her boyfriend, Ortiz.
Shortly thereafter, Colon and Ortiz allegedly transported the victim to a hotel in New Jersey, where they allegedly took sexually explicit photographs her. Colon and Ortiz then allegedly posted those images and advertised the sexual services of the child on Backpage.com, according to officials.
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