what to know
- A former City College chemistry adjunct professor has been charged with conspiring to rape and sexually assault three women from El Salvador after convincing them to travel to the United States for a better life.
- In an initial court appearance, he agreed to remain in custody until he can be offered bail.
- A school spokesperson says Ramos has not worked at the university since 2009.
NEW YORK — A former City College assistant professor of chemistry was arrested Thursday and charged with persuading three women from El Salvador to come to the United States in search of a better life before subjecting them to rape and sexual assaults upon arrival. authorities said.
Jorge Alberto Ramos, 43, of the Bronx, was arrested on charges in an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court that alleged he carried out the plan from 2013 to 2023, grooming the women to make the trip, expressing concern. for their families and sending them gifts and money.
In an initial court appearance, Ramos agreed to remain in custody until a bail proposal can be offered. He faces two counts of incitement to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity and two counts of transportation to engage in unlawful sexual activity. He was also charged with conspiracy to engage in human smuggling, human smuggling, and harboring an alien.
If convicted, he could face decades in prison.
His attorney did not immediately comment.
Dee Dee Mozeleski, a spokeswoman for City College, said Ramos had not worked at the school since 2009.
In an email, he said he could not comment on the allegation, but added: “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families.”
According to the indictment, Ramos was born in El Salvador and had relationships with family, friends and others in the San Miguel area.
Ramos was charged with smuggling a 25-year-old woman into the United States in 2013 or 2014. The indictment says the woman believed she was in a romantic relationship with Ramos, but his attitude changed toward her once she got a job and he demanded sex when he wanted, forcing her to submit.
He said he lured his second victim, who was 27, to come to the US in November 2015, but US Customs and Border Protection detained her for two months until Ramos paid $4,000 for her release.
After Ramos paid for her flight from Texas to New York, the woman met Ramos at a New York airport, where she noted that his demeanor had changed, leaving him “aggressive and angry, whereas in his previous phone calls, he was he had shown affection,” the indictment said.
After she arrived at his residence, she was told she had to attend to him sexually or he would report her to immigration officials for deportation, according to the indictment.
The third victim, according to the indictment, was 18 when she was tempted to come to the United States in March 2017. Although Ramos promised her she would not have to be romantically involved with him, he repeatedly raped her after paying her thousands. of dollars for smugglers to bring her to New York, the indictment says.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that Ramos preyed on vulnerable women with promises of a better life and “smuggled them into New York so he could exploit their bodies for his own sexual gratification.”
Authorities said Ramos convinced the women that they would have educational and other opportunities in the United States.
The indictment says the last two women eventually escaped from Ramos, who tried to isolate them from others in his home.
