An Astoria man was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court to nearly 16 years in prison last month for running a Mexican sex trafficking crew for years.
Hugo Hernandez-Velazquez, 48, was extradited from Mexico, where he had a second home, back to the United States in February 2021, for sex trafficking multiple victims by force, fraud, and coercion. He pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking in April 2023, and he will be deported back to Mexico after completing his sentence. Hernandez-Velazquez is the last member of the family-run sex trafficking ring to be sentenced.
“For years, the defendant and his siblings operated an illegal, abusive, and exploitative sex trafficking operation that stripped victims of their dignity and subjected them to inhumane violence,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said. “It is my hope that the prosecution of their tormentors and the punishment meted out will provide a measure of closure for the brave survivors who assisted the investigation and will help them on their path to healing.”
Between 2001 and 2009, Hernandez-Velazquez and his siblings, Ernesto, Giovanni, and Arcelia, ran the organization based in Mexico and trafficked young women in Mexico to engage in prostitution in the U.S. Members of the crew lured victims into romantic relationships through false promises of love and support. The victims were pressured to travel to the U.S. with promises of a better life with their trafficker. Once smuggled into the United States, the victims were forced to engage in prostitution. The family-run ring maintained a base in Astoria, where the victims would reside while they were forced to work in New York and other states, including Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Hernandez-Velazquez subjected his victims to physical beatings, forced abortions, and threats. He also threatened violence to the victims’ families to force them to continue prostituting on his behalf.
“For nearly a decade, the defendant and his family oversaw a vicious sex trafficking campaign wrought with violence, manipulation, coercion, and outright force against women whom they lured into romantic relationships through false promises of love and support,” Homeland Security Investigations, New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said. “Today’s sentencing is no doubt a direct result of the bravery of each survivor who courageously spoke up.”
Ernesto Hernandez-Velazquez, 45, from Queens, and Giovanni Hernandez-Velazquez, 37, of Mexico, also pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and were each sentenced to 17 ½ years in federal prison. Arcelia Hernandez-Velazquez, 46, of Queens, who pleaded guilty to a Mann Act Violation, was sentenced to time served after approximately 60 months in federal custody.
“Every day, victims are targeted for human trafficking and other vile forms of exploitation and abuse, often at the hands of their own spouses or purported caretakers,” Patel said. “Together with our partners, HSI is unflinchingly committed to investigating and vigorously pursuing anyone, anywhere, who sexually exploits the very individuals they claim to care for.”
