Fifteen people have been charged in connection with a sophisticated sex trafficking ring that exploited vulnerable Venezuelan women, forcing them to engage in prostitution in an effort to pay off debts. According to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the defendants allegedly coerced the women into traveling from Venezuela and nearby countries, lending them money for plane tickets and hotel arrangements.
Once the women arrived in New York City, they were expected to work in prostitution, handing over their earnings to pay down the loans. However, the debts continued to grow with interest, along with additional "operational costs" such as online ads, car services, phones, and brothels.
Prosecutors say that monetary control and predatory debt cycles are common tactics used by sex traffickers to exert coercion over their victims. The conspirators allegedly kept copies of the women's passports and identification, monitored their movements closely, and denied them time off, even when they were sick or needed to care for children.
In some cases, defendants allegedly threatened violence against the women or their families if payments weren't made on time, while others threatened to release intimate photos. One defendant even sent a chilling message to another woman, saying "We are going to send someone to hurt someone in her family" when she refused to continue working.
The alleged traffickers include Jamer Sepulveda Salazar and Jhonder Jose Bermudes Chirino, who arranged for the women's travel to the US and demanded repayment through prostitution. Robinson Romero Vergel allegedly financed the operation and laundered proceeds through shell companies, while Marlene Castillo organized prostitution encounters and Manuel Cotiz Castro drove the women and collected payments.
Nine of the defendants have pleaded not guilty, with Bermudes Chirino, Castillo, and Cotiz Castro initially denying any wrongdoing before later pleading not guilty. Romero Vergel also pleaded not guilty but had his bail set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. Sepulveda Salazar's plea status is still unknown.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the alleged traffickers as "dehumanizing women by luring them into our city, sexually exploiting them for profit, and controlling them with threats of violence."
Once the women arrived in New York City, they were expected to work in prostitution, handing over their earnings to pay down the loans. However, the debts continued to grow with interest, along with additional "operational costs" such as online ads, car services, phones, and brothels.
Prosecutors say that monetary control and predatory debt cycles are common tactics used by sex traffickers to exert coercion over their victims. The conspirators allegedly kept copies of the women's passports and identification, monitored their movements closely, and denied them time off, even when they were sick or needed to care for children.
In some cases, defendants allegedly threatened violence against the women or their families if payments weren't made on time, while others threatened to release intimate photos. One defendant even sent a chilling message to another woman, saying "We are going to send someone to hurt someone in her family" when she refused to continue working.
The alleged traffickers include Jamer Sepulveda Salazar and Jhonder Jose Bermudes Chirino, who arranged for the women's travel to the US and demanded repayment through prostitution. Robinson Romero Vergel allegedly financed the operation and laundered proceeds through shell companies, while Marlene Castillo organized prostitution encounters and Manuel Cotiz Castro drove the women and collected payments.
Nine of the defendants have pleaded not guilty, with Bermudes Chirino, Castillo, and Cotiz Castro initially denying any wrongdoing before later pleading not guilty. Romero Vergel also pleaded not guilty but had his bail set at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. Sepulveda Salazar's plea status is still unknown.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the alleged traffickers as "dehumanizing women by luring them into our city, sexually exploiting them for profit, and controlling them with threats of violence."
this is so messed up 
. like, i cant even process how people can be so cruel to others. these women were already vulnerable because they're from venezuela and struggling financially, and then these traffickers prey on them like dirt. it's not just about the physical exploitation, it's the emotional and psychological control too. these women were basically treated like commodities, not human beings. 
, like threatening violence against their families or releasing intimate photos to coerce them into silence. it's just disgusting.
. but at the same time, we need to be thinking about how we can support these women and prevent this kind of exploitation in the future 
. it's not enough to just condemn what happened, we need to do better 
. They're using debt cycles and threats to exert coercion, it's like they're exploiting people for profit. I think we need to talk about this more often and raise awareness so that people know what's happening. We can't just sit back and let these monsters get away with this. The fact that some of the defendants are still out on bail is just not right 
.
this is so messed up its like they took these women from a bad situation in venezuela and turned them into even bigger victims over here the way they did it is so clever i mean who wouldn't fall for the "we need to pay off loans" scam but really they were just trying to make bank off someone elses misery 
and can you believe the threats of violence and releasing intimate photos theyre not even hiding it anymore its like they think we dont care about these women or their families and its all so orchestrated 
.