Exploited Women At Their R’wood Brothel
A convicted sex trafficker and pimp joined his brother in federal prison last Friday, May 30, to serve a life sentence for helping his sibling smuggle Mexican women into the U.S. and operate brothels in Ridgewood and upstate New York, law enforcement sources stated.
Bonifacio Flores-Mendez, 34, a Queens resident and Mexican national, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest to serve life behind bars for his role in the sex trafficking and prostitution ring busted last year.
The sentencing came two weeks after Judge Forrest sent Isaias Flores- Mendez, 42-Bonifacio’s brother and a Queens resident-to federal prison for the rest of his life for cooperating and owning the ring.
Like his brother, Bonifacio Flores-Mendez was additionally told to forfeit $1.7 million in proceeds and pay $84,000 in restitution to one of his victims.
“[He] waged a decade-long campaign of terrorizing women, coercing them into prostitution, assaulting them, even attempting to run a victim over in his car and threatening the health of her infant child,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said in a statement last Friday. “He has no doubt caused his victims grave physical and psychological harm. The long prison sentence he has received today cannot undo that harm, but it will ensure that Bonifacio Flores-Mendez does not prey on more women or children.”
According to authorities, Bonifacio and Isaias Flores-Mendez operated the ring for many years, trafficking in a number of young Mexican women into the U.S. and forcing them to prostitute themselves for their profit.
In one instance, prosecutors noted, Isaias Flores-Mendez seduced a 17-year-old girl into coming to the United States, promising her a better life for her and her infant child.
When she arrived in New York, law enforcement sources said, Bonifacio Flores-Mendez met the victim and her child and arranged for them to sleep in a location on the floor without blankets. Some time thereafter, he reportedly locked them in a windowless basement and provided them with insufficient food.
On occasions when the 17-yearold victim tried to resist demands to work as a prostitute, authorities said, Isaias Flores-Mendez verbally and physically assaulted here.
Eventually, the victim escaped from the brothel, but the brothers reportedly continued to harass her, going as far as to attempt to run her down with a car.
Prosecutors said the brothers owned and operated a network of brothels in the New York City area, including a location on Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood. As previously reported, the victims each earned between $30 and $35 per client for 15 minutes of sex, servicing as many as 20 men per day.
Almost all of the proceeds went to those connected to the sex trafficking and prostitution ring.
The ring reportedly employed drivers who shuttled the prostitutes between brothels located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware; in some instances, the drivers brought the victims directly to customers’ homes.
Women whom the ring’s operators believed were pregnant were also forced to take medicine (cytotec, which is used to treat ulcers) known to cause miscarriages, authorities added.
According to Bharara, 16 of the 17 defendants indicted in May 2013 for their roles in the sex trafficking and prostitution conspiracy previously pled guilty to charges; another entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. Many of them are presently serving jail sentences.
They include the following:
– Carlos Garcia-DeLaRosa, serving 48 months in prison for conspiring to engage in sex trafficking and possessing child pornography;
– Pedro Degante-Galeno, serving 60 months in prison followed by two years’ probation for his role in the conspiracy;
– Sergio Degante-Ortiz, who was sentenced on May 8 to time served and one year of supervised release;
– Valentin Jiamez-Dolores, serving 60 months in prison followed by two years’ probation;
– Mario Pedro Martinez-Barrera, serving 33 months in prison followed by two years’ probation;
– Javier Leon-Chavez, serving 48 months in prison followed by two years’ probation;
– Alberto Jesus Martinez- Miranda, serving 60 months in prison followed by two years’ probation;
– Miguel Angel Che-Veliz, who was sentenced on Apr. 4 to time served after pleading guilty to obstructing justice;
– Isidro Degante-Galeno, serving 60 months in prison followed by three years’ probation;
– Alejandro Degante-Galeno, serving 60 months in prison followed by two years’ probation;
– Manuel Gomez-Batana, serving 60 months in prison followed by two years’ probation;
– Margarito Degante, serving 60 months in prison followed by two years’ probation;
– Marcos Mendez Perez, serving 60 months in prison and three years’ probation; and
– Francisco Mendez Ramirez, serving 60 months in prison and three years’ probation.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Kramer and Rebecca Mermelstein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit prosecuted the case.
