A Medford woman faces promoting prostitution charges after a yearlong investigation found she recruited women internationally to be sex workers in Suffolk County, police said.

Beginning in June 2024, Kristie Mace, 28, used multiple social media platforms to recruit women from outside the United States to travel to Suffolk on tourist visas for commercial sex work, Suffolk police said.

While these women were in Suffolk, Mace used social media to promote their sex work, police said. She allegedly assisted them in traveling to and from hotels in Farmingville, Medford, Islandia and other locations in Suffolk to see clients, detectives said.

Mace recruited at least two women from Spain. Detectives believe there are more women and suspects working with Mace, police said.

Police arrested Mace on Tuesday in Farmingville and charged her with third-degree promoting prostitution, a felony.

Her phone and vehicle were also seized, detectives said.

She was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on July 21.

Mace's attorney, Scott Limmer, said Mace did not promote prostitution or recruit any women from overseas.

"Once we are able to present and review evidence, I believe authorities will realize they've made a mistake," Limmer said.

Messages left on numbers listed for Mace were not returned.  

Court records show Mace has an extensive criminal history in Ohio, Florida and North Carolina, including convictions on various misdemeanors and felony obstructing justice in 2017.

Suffolk police were assisted by the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Force, police said.

Detectives ask anyone who has information on Mace to call the Human Trafficking Investigations Unit at 631-854-7512.

Newsday's John Asbury contributed to this story. 

CORRECTION: The charges against Mace were incorrect in a previous version of this story.