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A woman is allegedly the ringleader of a sex trafficking scheme in New York. She offered supposed jobs as a waitress on the Internet to illegal immigrants and then forced them into prostitution, threatening to call immigration. Authorities suspect hundreds of women who entered the country illegally have been victims in the same case.
According to a Fox News report, the FBI identified the suspect as Ysenni Gomez, who used the pseudonyms Carolina and Ysenni Peguero and was arrested last August 12 in a nationwide special operation aimed at dismantling sex trafficking networks involving children.
The FBI found more than 1,600 Internet advertisements allegedly linked to Gomez’s scheme, which had been active for about ten years, potentially affecting hundreds of illegal migrants seeking employment. The ads were found on Facebook and on Bedpage.com and MegaPersonals.com, and the business would go by the name “Chicas Express.”
Immigrant women forced into prostitution
A federal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, cited by Fox News, detailed how an undocumented migrant from Venezuela responded to an advertisement for a job as a waitress at a supposed restaurant in Manhattan. Gomez allegedly conducted an interview for the job, but when the woman showed up for the job, the suspect threatened to call immigration and forced the victim to have sex in exchange for money.
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- Avatar usado por la sospechosa en redes sociales (FBI)
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- Mugshot de Ysenni Gómez (FBI)
According to the complaint, the Venezuelan woman initially refused, but Gómez and her accomplices harassed her for days until she finally agreed to meet up to three clients per night. Gomez allegedly forced the victim to prostitute herself with “regular clients” for $200 a night. Other “VIP” clients were charged $700 per session.
The encounters took place for about three weeks at a Westchester County hotel until an FBI sting operation dismantled the scheme. To do so, an undercover agent responded to one of the advertisements for illicit meetings at a Tarrytown hotel.
Gomez, whose photographs were published by the authorities, personally showed up at the hotel to leave her victim in the hands of the alleged client. At that point, FBI agents arrested her.
The Westchester County and Greenburgh police departments are asking for information from anyone who can offer input to federal authorities about the sex trafficking scheme.
“We want to ensure that any victims out there come forward because the FBI is singularly focused on seeking justice for them,” FBI Supervisory Agent Brendan Kenney told FOX 5 NY, and assured that the immigration status of those who contribute to the investigation will not be used against them, so they should not fear deportation.
Tomás Lugo, journalist and writer. Born in Venezuela and graduated in Social Communication. Has written for international media outlets. Currently living in Colombia // Tomás Lugo, periodista y articulista. Nacido en Venezuela y graduado en Comunicación Social. Ha escrito para medios internacionales. Actualmente reside en Colombia.