Jorge J. Ramos, of Queens, faces sex trafficking charge in Nassau County

A Queens man faces multiple charges in an alleged sex trafficking case after an investigation connected him with prostitution in Nassau County that took place over the course of seven months, police said.

Jorge J. Ramos, 55, of Astoria, was arrested Thursday after Nassau police said detectives investigated possible prostitution occurring at different locations throughout the county from July 2024 to February 2025.

Ramos was charged with sex trafficking and second- and third-degree promoting prostitution, Nassau police said.

He was arraigned Friday at First District Court in Hempstead and held on $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash bail, authorities said.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, flanked by police officials and Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, said in a news conference Friday in Mineola that the arrest of Ramos was the result of collaboration of various county police units, as well as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI.

Blakeman said Ramos was from Mexico and was in the country illegally.

Chief of Detectives Christopher Ferro said the investigation spanned seven months, beginning last July, after Second Squad detectives received a tip. He said the vice squad and special victims squad became involved in the investigation leading to search warrants, surveillance and the assistance of ICE and the FBI.

Donnelly said Ramos was charged with B felonies and, if convicted, could face a minimum of 1 to 3 years in prison and a maximum of between 8⅓ and 25 years in prison.

Donnelly said the alleged crimes facing Ramos were “horrific and unfortunately often hidden in plain sight. These women are victims, victims of this man’s sex trafficking."

"Unfortunately, because the victims in these cases are sometimes fearful of coming forward, I ask everyone if you see something, say something.” She said people suspecting sex trafficking can report it to her office at 516-571-7755, then press 7.

Peter Menoudakos of Garden City South, Ramos' court-appointed attorney, said of his client’s legal status: “My client has told me that he has legal working papers, but I have not confirmed that at this point.”

As far as the allegations Ramos faces, Menoudakos said, “We don’t know any of the details at this time because they were not described at the arraignment. In addition, my client is denying all allegations at this time.”

A recent Newsday investigative report found arrests of sex traffickers on Long Island have dramatically dropped over the past decade due to a lack of aggressive action from law enforcement, despite millions in government grants aimed at curbing sex trafficking.

The Nassau County Police Department, which has no human trafficking unit, had sharp declines in arrests of sex workers and sex buyers from 214 prostitution arrests in 2013 to 22 through Dec. 15, 2023, and from 102 arrests of sex buyers in 2013 to none through Dec. 15, 2023.

Earlier this month, Suffolk County announced an initiative, dubbed "Operation Safe and Lasting Return," that brings together law enforcement, social services and community organizations to find missing children and provide services to break the cycle of repeated runaways.

The announcement comes amid the arrests of several people in connection with the sex trafficking of a 14-year-old East Patchogue girl who had been missing for 25 days.

With Maureen Mullarkey

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie