By Jeremy Walsh
The husband and wife strippers arrested in February on suspicion of molesting two underage girls have now been indicted on upgraded charges, District Attorney Richard Brown said last week.
Julio Rojas, 32, and Sophie Soto, 22, both of Corona, are now accused of raping three girls over six months between 2006 and 2007, the DA said.
They face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, Brown said. Their next court date is July 15.
The third girl was also underage and a friend of the other two, the DA said. She was raped and sexually abused at least once, Brown said.
The alleged exploitation began in November 2006, when Soto e-mailed one of the girls via the social networking Web site MySpace, the DA said. Soto told the girl that she was an 18-year-old virgin who had had sexual relations with girls, but was planning to have sex with a boy and wanted the victim to be with her, the DA said.
The first girl, who said she was 16, replied that she and the second girl would come stay with Soto, authorities said.
Through an exchange of e-mails, instant messages and phone calls, Soto allegedly convinced the first girl to take more than 20 nude pictures of herself and send them to her, the DA said. Soto also allegedly told the first girl, who was not getting along with her mother, that she could come and live with Soto, authorities said.
The girl ran away from home in January 2007, met up with the second girl and came to Soto's apartment, Brown said. Soto allegedly gave the girls alcohol and sexually abused them in the bedroom before Rojas came home and allegedly had sex with all three, the DA said.
Later that night, Soto and Rojas allegedly tried to take the girls to several nightclubs, but were turned away because of the girls' fake IDs, the DA said. Instead they allegedly took the two girls to a Manhattan strip club, where Soto performed and then allegedly brought the first girl on stage to perform oral sex on her and several patrons. Another female did the same thing with the second girl, the DA said.
The strippers' sexual relationship with the two girls continued between February and May 2007, Brown said. Soto also allegedly convinced the second girl to take nude photos of herself, the DA said. Details about the third girl were not released.
The case came to light when the girls told their parents, Brown said.
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jwalsh@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
