Man cuffed for sex trafficking
A Manhattan man faces sex-trafficking charges for forcing two women into prostitution, including a missing Pennsylvania teenager, authorities said Thursday.
Ishi Woney, 23, was arrested Wednesday in New Jersey for using fraud, force and coercion to pimp the women out in the Bronx, among other places. He allegedly took one woman — Victim 1 in legal papers — to several states and bought online ads promoting prostitution, some of which featured her and Corinna Slusser, who was reported missing from her Bloomsburg, Pa., home on Sept. 10, 2017, after she didn’t go to her grandfather’s funeral.
Slusser was last seen, prosecutors said, in Queens 10 days later.
“As alleged, Ishi Woney engaged in a vile form of exploitation, using force and other coercion to compel young women to engage in paid sex for his enrichment. We will continue to work with the FBI and NYPD to protect prospective victims of human trafficking and arrest and prosecute their predators,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said.
Woney faces five years to life in prison for three charges against him.
The News reported a year ago that cops believe Slusser was being shuttled between pimps and had left New York. “(Detectives) believe that she is out of New York State,” said a high-ranking NYPD source said at the time.
Slusser filed assault charges against the pimp in late August, and he was arrested for beating and choking her at a hotel in Harlem.
The avid social media user last posted on Instagram on Sept. 10, 2017. The picture she posted was taken in the Bronx. On Oct. 6, Sabina Tuorto, Slusser’s mom, posted on Facebook, “Happy Birthday Corinna. I love you very much and I miss you very much!”
In August, the devastated mom wrote, “Missing my beautiful girl so much... the sadness in my heart is beyond words. I wish I could be where she is, that’s where I want to be. She is my reason to breathe.
“I inhale and exhale trying to keep the faith as I wish for her to be found safely and alive. It’s been a year almost and people seem to forget about her but I think about her nonstop and I will never let this to rest until her and I are reunited again! My heart aches everyday!”