12 from Eastern Europe charged with criminal prostitution in central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. - Twelve individuals from Moldova, Russia and Ukraine, were charged federally with a 27-count indictment alleging criminal prostitution Friday, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI), a local task force in Orlando.

ICE HSI and the MBI also arrested five of the individuals in the Orlando area on Friday.

The twelve individuals charged were: Roman Caraiman, 24, of Moldova; Tatiana Belinschi, 25, of Moldova; Alexandr Postica, 25, of Moldova; Saida Babaeva, 28, of Russia; Kateryna Krykovlyuk, 24, of Ukraine; Elena Shashurova, 24, of Russia; Vlada Blisciuc, 23, of Moldova; Elena Abushinova, 24, of Russia; Irina Luchina; 22, of Moldova; Aleksandra Liubina, 23, of Russia; Natalia Fedorova, 23, of Russia; and Alina Priadko, 24, of Ukraine.

On Feb. 11, Postica was arrested near Marietta, Ga., and Belinschi was arrested in the Orlando area.

On Friday, ICE HSI and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI), arrested Krykovlyuk, Shashurova, Luchina, Blisciuc, and Abushinova in the Orlando area.

Babaeva and Priadko are currently in custody in Ohio.

Caraiman, Liubina and Fedorova are at-large fugitives.

According to the indictment, a number of the individuals worked together in a commercial sex business that sought to make money by providing sexual services for money. According to the indictment, among the activities in which the defendants engaged included setting up appointments, performing sexual acts for money, advertising massage services on the Internet, and interstate transportation of prostitutes in furtherance of their prostitution activities.

The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on Feb. 9, which was unsealed on Feb. 14.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Ravenel.