Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., Homeland Security Investigations New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch today announced the indictment of an alleged sex trafficking ring that coerced women to engage in prostitution by paying for their travel from Venezuela to the U.S., and then forcing them to pay off that ‘debt.’ Fifteen individuals are charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment in connection to the ring, including ten charged with Sex Trafficking, two of whom are also charged with Sex Trafficking of a Child. All defendants are charged with Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree, as well as Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree.[1]

“Monetary control, including predatory cycles of debt, is a common element of coercion used by sex traffickers,” said District Attorney Bragg. “As alleged, this wide-ranging operation recruited women who were seeking to come to the United States from Venezuela and demanded repayment through prostitution. Many of the women were trafficked when the ringleaders allegedly used coercion, including threats of violence, to force them to continue. Together with our partners in the NYPD/HSI Task Force, we are putting a stop to this predatory cycle and horrific abuse.”

HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Patel said: “Today’s announcement exposes the appalling cruelty and calculated exploitation allegedly inflicted by the defendants, who are accused of preying upon vulnerable women and children by luring them to the United States under false pretenses and trapping them in a relentless, shameless and inhumane cycle of debt and abuse. HSI New York, together with our law enforcement partners, will not tolerate those who profit from human suffering, threaten families, and use brutality and intimidation to maintain control over their victims.”

“The NYPD remains committed to protecting survivors of sex trafficking, and anyone who seeks to gain from the abuse and exploitation of others will be held accountable,” said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “In this case, traffickers allegedly dehumanized women by luring them into our city, sexually exploiting them for profit, and controlling them with threats of violence. Today’s indictment is the next step toward justice, and I am grateful to the NYPD investigators for their dedicated work, and to the entire team that made this happen.”

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, beginning in July 2023, members of the ring paid for more than a dozen women to travel from Venezuela and neighboring countries to the United States, lending them money to purchase plane tickets and make hotel arrangements. Once the women arrived in the New York City area, they were expected to engage in prostitution and hand over the proceeds to pay down the loans. The loans continued to grow with interest, and with operational costs including payments for online advertisements, car services, phone bills, and brothel fees.

As alleged, the survivors were pressured to deliver payments each week, and were denied requests to take time off because they were sick or needed to care for their children. The conspirators kept copies of the women’s identification and passports, and strictly monitored and controlled their behavior. On multiple occasions, defendants threatened to publicly release intimate photos used in the advertisements if payments were not made on time. Several of the defendants also used threats of violence to both the survivors and their family members to coerce them to work.

The indictment charges co-conspirators with several different roles in the organization, including:

• JAMER SEPULVEDA SALAZAR, 23, and JHONDER JOSE BERMUDES CHIRINO, 24, allegedly arranged for the women to travel from Venezuela and neighboring countries to the U.S., and demanded they work in prostitution to pay back the ‘debt’ once they arrived.
• ROBINSON ROMERO VERGEL, 34, allegedly funded the operation, providing upfront cash and receiving the women’s payments collected by coconspirators – and laundered funds through various shell companies.
• MARLENE CASTILLO, 24, allegedly orchestrated the prostitution encounters, and MANUEL COTIZ CASTRO, 29, allegedly drove the women and collected money afterward.

Assistant D.A. Katherine Sullivan is handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Jonathon Junig (Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit) and Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division). Assistant D.A. Michael Luongo (Financial Frauds Bureau) assisted with the investigation, as did Analysts Abigail Presti, Rackell Carrasco Reyes, Brianna Vaca, Josephine Metcalf, Danya Belkin, Selena Hernandez, and Octavio De Leon, and former Analysts Leslie Martinez, Eva Nikitovic, and Ana Palazzi. The Language Services Unit and High Tech Analysis Unit provided valuable support.

District Attorney Bragg thanked Homeland Security Investigations and the NYPD, particularly Detective Joe Azevedo of the NYPD/HSI task force.

###

[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.