Man ran human trafficking operation out of parents' basement

NEW YORK - A Long Island man has pleaded guilty to running a human trafficking operation out of the basement of his parents' house for several years.

Raymond Rodio III, 48, pleaded guilty Tuesday to several felony charges.

The investigation started in August 2018 when the Suffolk County Police Department identified a suspected victim of human trafficking during a traffic stop. An investigation revealed evidence that the victim had been forced into sex trafficking by Rodio in the spring of 2018.

Investigators say that Rodio had been conducting a human trafficking operation out of the basement of his parents’ residence, located on Lower Rocky Point Road in Sound Beach, since as early as 2014.  The investigation identified more than 20 victims of Rodio’s sex trafficking operation.

Rodio would post advertisements on websites, including Backpage and Craigslist, promoting prostitution by the victims and would keep either a large percentage or all of the profits of their prostitution.

The investigation also revealed evidence that Rodio would occasionally keep victims in the basement for extended periods of time and force them to use a bucket as a toilet because the basement does not have a bathroom. The door to the basement has an exterior lock to which Rodio had the only key. In addition to the house, Rodio also forced the victims to perform prostitution at various motels throughout Suffolk County.

Rodio coerced his victims into performing prostitution by providing them with heroin and crack cocaine to impair their judgment as well as subjecting one victim to threats of physical violence.

Rodio is scheduled to be sentenced to nine and a half years in prison on March 9.  He will also be required to register as a sex offender.