East Brunswick rabbi facing federal sex trafficking charges

NEW BRUNSWICK - An East Brunswick rabbi accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is now being held in federal custody on charges of sex trafficking of a child and was scheduled to be arraigned in Newark before a federal judge, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey.

The status of Rabbi Aryeh Goodman, 35, was announced Tuesday by a Middlesex County assistant prosecutor during a brief hearing before Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Michael Toto.

READ: Edison couple accused of promoting prostitution

READ: East Brunswick rabbi accused of prostitution

Goodman and co-defendants Gabriella Colon, 18, and Richard Ortiz, 23, both of the Bronx, were taken into federal custody.

Colon and Ortiz are accused of allegedly forcing a child into commercial sex acts in multiple hotels throughout Middlesex, Bergen and Essex counties, according to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

They have been charged with two counts of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transporting a minor in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution. Colon and Ortiz also were scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court.

Ortiz, Colon, and Goodman were originally arrested on related state charges in February.

According to the federal complaints between January 2018 and Feb. 2, 2018, Ortiz and Colon allegedly forced a child identified in the complaint as “Victim-1” to engage in commercial sex acts with various individuals at multiple hotels scattered throughout Middlesex, Bergen and Essex counties.

In January 2018, Colon used her friendship with the victim to convince the victim to visit Colon in New York. After the victim arrived in New York, the victim learned that Colon was prostituting herself to support herself and her boyfriend, Ortiz.

Shortly thereafter, Colon and Ortiz transported the victim to a hotel in New Jersey, where they allegedly took sexually explicit photographs of the victim. Colon and Ortiz then posted those images and advertised the sexual services of the victim on Backpage.com.

When customers responded to the online advertisements, Colon or Ortiz would set up “dates” with the victim when they allegedly forced the victim to engage in commercial sex acts with those customers, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Colon or Ortiz collected all of the proceeds and purchased a Jaguar, which they then used to transport the victim between New York and New Jersey to engage in additional sex acts.

Goodman, a registered sex offender, was one of the individuals who responded to the advertisements that Colon and Ortiz posted. After Goodman allegedly had sex with the victim, he allegedly offered to pay for additional time with the victim and later invited the victim to travel to New York to meet him.

If convicted, the sex trafficking charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life imprisonment. The charge of conspiracy to transport a minor to engage in prostitution is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment. Both charges carry a potential $250,000 fine.

Carpenito credited the East Brunswick Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office for their work on the case.

Attorney Josh Altman said he continues to represent Goodman.

In February, Goodman was charged with engaging in prostitution with a child and endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly engaged in sexual relations with the teen at an East Brunswick hotel on Feb. 1, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

In addition, Colon and Ortiz were charged with 11 state criminal counts, including human trafficking, conspiracy to commit human trafficking, promoting prostitution of a child, conspiracy to promote prostitution of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal restraint and a number of child pornography offenses including the manufacturing, distribution and possession of pornography. They were arrested at a Fort Lee motel on Feb. 16.

The state charges could be dismissed now that federal charges have been filed.

Colon and Ortiz allegedly sold the sexual services of the teen girl to about 30 men between Jan. 1 and Feb. 2 at an East Brunswick hotel.

Officials have said Goodman performed in a religious capacity at a Jewish religious center out of his East Brunswick home and may have affiliation with another center on Lexington Avenue in East Brunswick. Goodman and his center are not affiliated with the Chabad Lubavitch movement.

In 2013, Goodman was accused of inappropriately touching a boy at a youth camp in Pennsylvania in 2001 where he worked as a counselor. He was charged with 12 counts of indecent assault.

Pennsylvania court records show he was convicted of two counts of indecent assault of a child under age 13 and in October 2015 was sentenced to up to two years in prison. The remaining charges were dismissed. A Jewish Community Watch report also indicates he was required to register as a sex offender.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com