According to the Houston Chronicle, Feds bust East Houston sex-slave ring
This case is much different than the aforementioned case in that they are alleged to have used girls as young as 14 years-old and have been in business since 1999 and operated in Houston area bars and restaurants. The victims were all Mexican nationals and force, fraud, and coercion are alleged. Sounds like this is a real sex-trafficking case.
Read the press release from the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Texas:
Human Trafficking Investigation Leads to Indictment and Arrest of 10
“Maria Rojas, aka “Nancy,” 46, a co-owner of the La Costeñita Bar and El Club Restaurante, located at 8403 and 8037 Clinton Drive, respectively, in Houston and her brother, Jose Luis Rojas, 38, who operated the La Costeñita as well as the locations adjacent to the bar located at 8303 Clinton Drive where the prostitution allegedly took place, are charged with conspiring to hold persons in conditions of peonage and recruiting, holding, transporting and providing and obtaining persons for sexual services.”
“The remaining eight defendants, Javier Guevara Belmontes, 46, who also owned, controlled and operated La Costeñita Bar and El Club Restaurante; Maday Martinez, 34, aka “Yvonne” (full name Maday Martinez Lindero), and Evelin Carloine Aguera, 37, alleged managers at La Costeñita Bar and the adjacent property; Claudia LNU (real name: Claudia Perez Ramirez), 27, Silvano Santos, aka “Chivas,” 33, Francisco LNU, aka “Pancho” (real name: Francisco Midardi Maradiaga Jimenez), 33, and Olvan LNU (real name: Olvan Renieri Ramirez Caceres), 25, all of whom allegedly worked at La Costeñita Bar and at the adjacent property as “lookouts” alerting of police presence; and Aleyda LNU (real name: Aleyda Maria Juares), 27, who allegedly charged the young women and minors for condom and use of the rooms at a residence adjacent to the bar are charged along with Maria and Jose Luis Rojas conspiring to harbor illegal aliens for commercial advantage and private financial gain.”
I see a world of difference between those two prosecutions.
If you read the article linked in the Houston Chronicle you will understand what I mean when I state that the Russian “sex-trafficking ring” is probably not sex-trafficking at all, at least not in any real sense. The Houston operation is an entirely different story.
Feds in Detroit have been busy
Veniamin Gonikman was indicted over 5 years ago on various counts including sex-trafficking and the feds (ICE) picked him up at JFK International Airport in New York in late January (January 27, 2011). Here is the ICE press release:
ICE most wanted fugitive arrested at JFK on human trafficking charges
Extorted more than $1 million in earnings from victims
“The indictment alleges that Gonikman, along with his co-conspirators, formed and operated Beauty Search as a corporate cover for a human trafficking operation which smuggled and harbored Eastern European women in the United States. The women were exploited and abused by forcing them - through threats, coercion and isolation - to work as exotic dancers for the economic benefit of the Beauty Search partners.”
“Gonikman's associates including his son Aleksandr Maksimenko, Duay Joseph Jado, Evgeniy Prokopenko and Michail Aronovo were previously convicted and sentenced on similar charges. They are currently serving prison sentences ranging from seven to 14 years. Three other defendants in this case were also convicted.”
The Ukraine deported him to the US the day before and according to ICE, Gonikman is a US citizen. Though I have not read the indictment, it looks like a real case of human trafficking, but sometimes the feds exaggerate to extreme so it is hard to tell.
Another bust in my backyard
Palm Bay, Florida police arrested Christy Morrison, owner of Prestige Escort Services based in Melbourne. This was a small operation with ads in the yellow pages in Brevard County, and according to the Florida Today article, Christy was a student at Brevard Community College. She was charged with transporting for the purpose of prostitution and living off the proceeds of prostitution – lucky her; no racketeering charge – still, she has a $50,000 bond.
BCC student accused of managing prostitution ring
My co-defendants were from Brevard County and the state's main informant in my case was also. I'd bet that one of Christy Morrison's competitors had something to do with this arrest – could even be Terri, the informant from hell: Whatever Happened to Ann?
There have been many additional arrests and indictments in the last month including 59 arrests during Super Bowl week in Dallas metro area – one on a human trafficking charge. Read a summary from the Chicago Tribune: 59 arrested in Super Bowl prostitution crackdown
I intend to tackle researching a few more federal prosecutions that I am not mentioning here in the coming week and will post on the topic in short time.
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