Jorge Alberto Ramos, a former professor, has been sentenced to 97 months in prison for smuggling three women from El Salvador to the United States and sexually abusing them. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl, who also oversaw Ramos's guilty plea.
U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon stated, "Today, Jorge Alberto Ramos was held to account for his horrific exploitation of women he smuggled into the United States and sexually abused over the course of a decade. We thank and commend the courageous women who came forward to law enforcement. Ramos’s sentencing is a reminder that the Southern District of New York will work tirelessly to protect vulnerable victims from abuse."
The indictment details how Ramos groomed his victims by showing concern for them and their families, sending gifts and money, before arranging for their illegal transport into the U.S., including paying smugglers known as "coyotes." Once in New York, each victim was taken to Ramos's residence in the Bronx where they were raped and sexually assaulted.
Victim-1 was assaulted upon arrival at the residence in 2016 and continued to be abused until she fled weeks later. Victim-2 faced similar abuse starting in 2017 until she escaped after about a month. Victim-3 suffered assaults on at least three occasions between 2013 and 2014.
Ramos attempted to control these women by isolating them, ordering them not to leave his residence, and threatening deportation back to El Salvador if they disobeyed.
Upon his arrest, authorities seized a desktop computer from Ramos's home containing multiple images and videos of child pornography.
In addition to his prison term, Ramos will undergo five years of supervised release following his incarceration.
U.S. Attorney Sassoon commended the investigative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department. The case was managed by the Civil Rights Unit within the Criminal Division alongside the Violent and Organized Crime Unit with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth A. Espinosa, Emily A. Johnson, and Jane Kim leading the prosecution.
