LI Man Charged In Connection With Missing Teen Faces Sex Trafficking Indictment

LONG ISLAND, NY — A Long Island man, charged with the rape and child endangerment in connection with a teenage girl found aboard a yacht after weeks missing, is "adamantly" denying charges of sex trafficking in an indictment on an unrelated incident, his attorney says.

The charges against Daniel Soto, 37, of Bay Shore, stem from a year prior to the indictment and involve an incident with a victim listed as "Jane Doe," Katherine Fernandez of Uniondale told Patch on Monday.

Soto has been accused of using violence, drugs, and manipulation to force a woman to engage in commercial sex for his profit, Suffolk prosecutors said.

He faces charges of rape and child endangerment in relation to the teen's case.

"While we have very little information as of now, it is important to note this indictment alleges crimes preceding this current matter and appears to have come as a result of what they say is evidence from my client's phone obtained from what we claim is an unlawful arrest," Fernandez said.

"It is extremely convenient that they cannot find any evidence to add or bolster their current accusations in the boat case where he has never been charged with sexual trafficking."

"Yet now, we have this new indictment after my client has made it clear he is choosing his right to a speedy trial in the boat case," she said. "We look forward to vigorously defending these claims."

Suffolk DA Ray Tierney said his office is committed to securing justice for victims of human-trafficking and ensuring that anyone exploiting others is held accountable."

"The multi-agency investigation that led to this indictment demonstrates our commitment to building comprehensive trafficking cases against predators," he added.

Beginning in 2024 and continuing into 2025, Soto repeatedly arranged for buyers to engage in sexual acts with a female victim while he kept all the monetary proceeds, and when she tried to refuse to engage in the activity, he beat her until she complied or withheld drugs from her, knowing that he could use her addiction to manipulate her, prosecutors said.

Soto was arrested after a joint investigation was conducted by Suffolk County's police and sheriff's office's anti-human trafficking initiative, as well as the DA's Hate Crimes, Elder Abuse, Anti-Bias, and Human Trafficking, or HEAT Unit.

The charges he faces include trafficking with force, as well as an additional two counts of sex trafficking, one count of second-and fourth-degree promoting prostitution.

He Soto was ordered continued to be held at the Suffolk Jail on $500,000, $3,000,000 bond, or $5,000,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of this case.

He is due back in court on Aug. 13 and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

Jade Eckhardt contributed additional reporting to this story.

Editor's note: The teen's name is being withheld to protect her identity as a minor.