Photo Courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of NY
“Today’s lengthy sentence reflects the immeasurable harm the defendants’ brutality and exploitation inflicted on these young women and girls,” Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said.
By Forum Staff
Five members of a family-run sex trafficking organization have been sentenced to prison terms of nearly 40 years, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Jose Miguel Melendez-Rojas, 45, of Mexico, was sentenced to 39 years and six months in prison; Jose Osvaldo Melendez-Rojas, 46, and Rosalio Melendez-Rojas, 40, both of Mexico, were each sentenced to 39 years and four months; Francisco Melendez-Perez, 27, and Abel Romero-Melendez, 35, both of Queens, were sentenced to 25 years and 20 years in prison, respectively. The defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to their victims.
The defendants were convicted by a federal jury in March 2020 of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking of minors, interstate prostitution, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.
A sixth co-defendant, Fabian Reyes-Rojas, 42, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking in December 2019 and is awaiting sentencing, prosecutors noted.
According to federal officials, between 2006 and July 2017, the defendants transported young and vulnerable Mexican women and girls, some of whom were minors, to the United States and forced them to work in prostitution. The defendants used false promises of love, marriage, and a better life to lure the women and girls into romantic and sexual relationships and isolated their victims from their families by bringing them to live with them at the defendants’ homes in Tenancingo, Mexico. The defendants then used physical and sexual violence, threats, and fraud to coerce their victims to work in prostitution in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware. The defendants took the proceeds generated from the victims’ prostitution and laundered them to conceal their source.
Six victim-witnesses testified at trial regarding the physical and sexual abuse they endured at the hands of the defendants. One victim identified as “Diana” testified that she was smuggled into the United States as a minor and forced to work as a prostitute. When she tried to escape, Jose Miguel Melendez-Rojas beat and raped her in front of other members of the household, including Rosalio Melendez-Rojas and Abel Romero-Melendez. Another victim identified as “Delia” testified that she was forced into prostitution by Francisco Melendez-Perez and his uncle Rosalio Melendez-Rojas when she was 14 years old. When she refused to work, she was beaten. Victims “Fabiola” and “Maria Rosalba” also testified that they were forced to work as prostitutes through threats, physical abuse and forced abortions by Rosalio Melendez-Rojas and Jose Osvaldo Melendez-Rojas. Victim “Daisy” testified that she was forced into prostitution by Fabian Reyes-Rojas. Victim “Veronica” testified at trial that Jose Miguel Melendez-Rojas threatened her and her family, telling her that he would “chop [her] mother up into little pieces” if she did not work in prostitution for his benefit.
““Through false promises of a better life, the defendants ensnared young, vulnerable victims in a sordid world of sex-trafficking and used violence and cruel threats to force them into prostitution. Today’s lengthy sentence reflects the immeasurable harm the defendants’ brutality and exploitation inflicted on these young women and girls,” Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said.
