Portsmouth Sex Trafficking Investigation Nets 3: Cops

PORTSMOUTH, RI — A multi-agency sex trafficking investigation led to the arrest of three men, the Portsmouth police said.

Ricardo S. Ramirez, age 28, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was arrested Thursday and charged with electronically disseminating indecent material to a minor, the Portsmouth police posted on its Facebook page.

The apprehension of Ramirez followed the arrest of two other men in July. On July 11, Josue Perez Gomez, 29, of Acushnet, Massachusetts, was taken into custody on charges of patronizing a minor for commercial sexual activity, indecent solicitation of a minor and procurement of sexual conduct for a fee, and Connor J. Macleod, 37, of Newport was arrested on charges of procurement of sexual conduct for a fee and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the post said.

Macleod pleaded no contest to the charge of procurement of sexual conduct for a fee and the charge of contributing to delinquency of a child under 16 was dismissed, court records show.

The Portsmouth police worked with Homeland Security Investigations in the operation with assistance from the Warwick, Newport, and East Providence police departments, according to the post.

Thursday's arrest "followed online exchanges of explicit messages and files sent by Ramirez to a person whom he believed to be a minor," the Facebook post said. "A court authorized arrest warrant was secured by the Portsmouth Police Department and yesterday, the Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force located Ramirez and took him into custody pending extradition to Rhode Island."

Gomez was "arrested after traveling to a pre-arranged location in Portsmouth with the intent to engage in sexual activity with a minor," the post said, and Macleod was "taken into custody after arranging to pay for sexual activity involving both an adult and a juvenile."