Bay Shore man accused of sex trafficking and prostitution: DA

BAY SHORE, NY — A Bay Shore man has been charged with three counts of sex trafficking after he sexually exploited a female victim, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.

Danny St. Louis, 43, of Bay Shore, was charged with three counts of sex trafficking and other related charges of commercial sexual exploitation of a female victim, in addition to 28 other felonies and misdemeanors in a separate indictment alleging sex trafficking, the District Attorney’s Office said.

According to the investigation, police found St. Louis in possession of cocaine when they arrested him on July 15, 2023, for not wearing a seat belt, prior to his human trafficking charge, the district attorney said. At that time, police also found four cellphones in his vehicle and a human trafficking investigation was later opened, the district attorney said.

St. Louis and a co-defendant were later charged in April 2024 with various counts of human trafficking and sexual abuse, the DA’s office said.

After the charges were filed, another victim came forward to Suffolk County police and said St. Louis had sexually exploited her from January to February 2024, the district attorney said.

She said St. Louis forced her to perform sex acts on buyers in exchange for money, as he did with his other alleged victims, the prosecutor said. The woman said St. Louis would take the money she earned and give her small amounts of crack cocaine and fentanyl to keep her addicted and working for him, the prosecutor said.

During the initial human trafficking investigation, one of the victims said she communicated with St. Louis through cell phones found in his car during his July 2023 arrest, prosecutors said.

When police searched the phones, they found three videos of a victim who was under the age of 13 at the time performing sexual acts, the Public Prosecution Service said.

“These new charges come from a brave victim who came forward after our initial announcement,” Tierney said. “In my first year in office, I established an expanded Human Trafficking Unit to permanently combat this shameful modern-day slave trade. I remain committed to pursuing justice for all victims of sex trafficking and urge all other potential victims and witnesses to please come forward. Our office stands ready to support you.”

On September 12, St. Louis was arraigned before Chief Judge Timothy P. Mazzei and charged with three counts of sex trafficking, a class B felony; one count of promoting prostitution in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor; one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a class D misdemeanor; three counts of possessing a sexual performance of a child, a class E misdemeanor; and one count of failure to wear a seat belt, a traffic violation.

Mazzei has ordered that St. Louis be held without bail while the case proceeds, prosecutors said.

He is due back in court on October 17 and faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty of the highest penalty.
count, said the prosecutor.

He is represented by Ian Fitzgerald, who was not immediately available for comment.