Alleged human trafficking ring had ties to York County, attorney general says

A Chambersburg man is facing criminal charges for allegedly running a human trafficking ring that had ties to York County. 

Joseph “Jay” Pulizzi, 37, faces numerous felony charges, including trafficking of individuals, involuntary servitude and aggravated assault. 

According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, which investigated Pulizzi, the human trafficking operation spanned York, Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties.

Pulizzi was arrested in Chambersburg, Franklin County, on Wednesday and is being held in Dauphin County Prison without bail. 

Pulizzi, according to a statement from the attorney general, was targeting women and deceiving them into having paid sexual encounters with customers he recruited using the website Skip the Games. 

“The facts of this case are extremely disturbing. The defendant targeted vulnerable women, deceiving them into his sex work operation, and controlling them with violence and threats,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a news release. 

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Pulizzi’s arrest was the culmination of an investigation by both the attorney general’s office and the Pennsylvania State Police Organized Crime Task Force. The charges stem from a grand jury investigation.

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Investigators said Pulizzi recruited and exploited at least seven women, many of whom were suffering from a number of hardships, including homelessness and substance abuse. Pulizzi promised the women a significant amount of money along with housing in exchange for unspecified services. The women were instead deceived into performing sex acts and received little or no money, investigators said. 

Testimony before the grand jury from the women alleged that Pulizzi used violence and threats to keep them in line and make it difficult to leave. 

The case does not yet have a trial date.