Federal prosecutors in New York have charged Jason Khan with sex trafficking offenses after alleging he used a foot fetish website to recruit women under the false promise of paid modeling work, then sexually assaulted or raped them in hotel rooms.
The indictment, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, charges Khan, 47, of Albany and New York City, with three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.
Authorities said Khan operated FootPadNYC.com from at least 2019 through 2021. The website allegedly advertised paid opportunities for women to work as foot models and included language promising that applicants could “get paid to have your feet worshipped.” Prosecutors allege Khan and others working with him arranged meetings with women in Manhattan hotel rooms under the pretense of employment interviews.
According to the indictment and statements made in court, Khan allegedly used the promise of modeling income to lure at least three women to hotel rooms. Once there, prosecutors allege, he raped or sexually assaulted them despite their clear lack of consent. Two of the victims went to hospitals for rape kits after the assaults, and all three reported what happened to law enforcement or others.
“As alleged, Jason Khan lured his victims in under the lucrative promise of being a foot model, before he repeatedly and violently sexually assaulted and raped them,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said. “We commend the victims for their courage in coming forward, and we urge anyone else who has been a victim of Khan, or knows anything about his alleged crimes, to do the same. Our investigation is ongoing.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said Khan allegedly used a website to exploit women seeking employment opportunities and lure them to hotel rooms before attacking them. NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch called the alleged conduct “horrific” and said the department would continue working with federal partners to protect survivors and pursue traffickers.
Khan was arrested in the Northern District of New York and was scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis.
Federal authorities are asking anyone who believes they were victimized by Khan, or anyone with additional information about the alleged conduct, to contact the FBI.
The case is being investigated by the FBI-NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from FBI Albany and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Lisa Daniels, and Remy Grosbard are prosecuting the case.