New Details About Corinna Slusser, The Pennsylvania Teen Missing More Than A Year, Who May Be Part Of A Sex Trafficking Ring
Police believe she is still alive.
Instagram A Manhattan man was arrested Wednesday on sex-trafficking charges for forcing a missing Pennsylvania teen into prostitution
Ishi Woney, 23, was arrested in New Jersey for allegedly using force, fraud, and coercion to sexually exploit young women, including 20-year-old Corinna Slusser, who was last seen in September 2017.
“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 in a statement.
Woney allegedly forced one woman to engage in sex for money in the Bronx and other places and purchased online advertisements promoting prostitution, some of which featured photos of Slusser and another woman who was not identified.
He was charged with one count of using an interstate facility to promote, manage, and carry on prostitution, one count of sex trafficking by means of force, threats, fraud, and coercion, and violating the Mann Act, according to documents released by the Department of Justice. He faces five years to life in prison if convicted.
Slusser's mother, Sabina Tuorto, reported her missing from her hometown of Bloomberg, Pa., on Sept. 12 of last year when she failed to attend her grandfather's funeral in Florida, NBC reported at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen at the Haven Motel in Queens 10 days later.
Slusser had filed assault charges against Yhovanny Peguero, 32, a pimp who beat her up in a Harlem motel in August 2017. He was arrested and charged with various assault and harassment charges.
When her mother found out about the assault, she realized her daughter was likely involved with prostitution and possibly stuck in a sex trafficking ring.
She reportedly rented an apartment with Woney and the other victim but had a falling-out with Woney because the other woman was apparently jealous of Slusser's relationship with him. Slusser then moved to the motel in Queens where she was last seen.
Between Sept. 10 and Sept. 20, Slusser and Woney exchanged over 800 text messages.
In November 2017, NBC reported that police believed Slusser was being juggled between pimps and was no longer in New York.
“I hope this [arrest] leads to other things," Tuorto told the New York Post on Thursday. "I want my daughter found.”
Slusser remains a missing person. She is described as a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, weighing 140 pounds and standing 5 feet, 7 inches tall.
"Human trafficking is a top priority for the FBI, and, as today’s charges demonstrate, we will continue to aggressively pursue justice for the victims of these heinous crimes," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said in a statement.
If you have any information about her whereabouts, please call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, go to tips.fbi.gov, or call the NYPD at 800-577-TIPS.
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.