News Releases and Statements

Edric Norvell Robinson Sr., 45, of Dallas, who remains in federal custody, faces a statutory penalty of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for Aug. 10 before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade.

Laron Carter, also known as “Birdd” and variations of that moniker, 39, was found guilty Wednesday afternoon by a federal jury following a five-day trial. The jury convicted Carter of seven counts of sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud or coercion; and seven counts of transporting a child to engage in prostitution.

Rosa Astrid Umanzor-Lopez, 36, was sentenced April 22 by U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. to 36 months in prison. She is expected to face deportation proceedings following her release from prison.

Luis Rivera, 19, of Irving, Texas, pleaded guilty in October 2015 to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. Last month, Rivera’s co-defendant, Brady Rodriguez-Cruz, aka Marcos Antonio Rodriguez-Mejia, 33, also of Irving, was sentenced by Judge Boyle to 293 months in federal prison.

What started as an unlikely alliance between law enforcement and the adult entertainment industry has since morphed into a successful program that directly reaches the people who may be among the first to see the shadowy, tell-tale signs of a sex trafficking victim – those working in adult entertainment clubs.

Firas Majeed and Shatha Abbas are charged with forced labor; trafficking with respect to forced labor; and document servitude.

Clinton Hayden, 29, aka Showtime, admitted to recruiting, enticing, and transporting two minor females from Luzerne County to Brooklyn to engage in commercial sex acts.

Hansel German, 25, of Boston and Andy Pena, 21, of Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts, were sentenced to eight years for aiding and abetting the transportation of a minor in interstate commerce for prostitution, and one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute. Enoc Ayuso, 26, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was also sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in the trafficking conspiracy. Rafael Reyes, 22, of Boston, has pleaded guilty to his involvement and will be sentenced next week in United States District Court.

HSI special agents arrested without incident Jose Antonio Landin-Ortiz, 26, and Jose Alfredo Ortiz-Vega, 45, both from Mexico and living illegally in the United States. On March 23, a U.S. magistrate judge charged both men with human smuggling.

The investigation that the television series sought to feature focused on Owens’ work in putting an end to a juvenile sex trafficking ring in Denton, Texas. As part of the HSI-led North Texas Trafficking Task Force, Owens led the efforts to arrest and prosecute two adults who had prostituted 14-year-old “Hope” to more than 30 men across five states over a three-week period.

Marcos Antonio Rodriguez-Mejia, aka, Brady Rodriguez-Cruz, 33, of Irving, Texas, was sentenced to 293 months in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, and also sentenced to 120 months for one count of possessing counterfeit documents. Both sentences are to be served concurrently.

Chudy and Sandra Nsobundu, 56 and 50, respectively, are charged with forced labor, withholding documents, visa fraud, and conspiracy to harbor and harboring an illegal alien. They were originally charged by criminal complaint Feb. 4 and arrested four days later.

Mykhaylo Botsvynyuk, 37, and Yaroslav Churuk, 48, were convicted at trial, on Feb. 24, of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, in relation to several predicate offenses in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: a) peonage; b) involuntary servitude; c) extortion and attempted extortion; d) and several immigration offenses, including bringing aliens into the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry, encouraging or inducing illegal entry of aliens, transporting aliens, and harboring illegal aliens for purposes of financial gain.

Following a bench trial June 19, 2015, Luisa Vargas, a U.S. permanent resident residing in Houston, was convicted of sex trafficking a minor and harboring illegal aliens. The following other three defendants had previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking minors: Dolores Vargas, also a U.S. permanent resident in Houston; Blasina Vargas, a naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Houston; and Ignacio Escandon, a citizen of Cuba.

Roger Tam, 55, and his wife, Ada Lei, 48, of Novi were charged in the complaint.

Chudy and Sandra Nsobundu, 56 and 50, respectively, of Katy, Texas, were arrested Feb. 8 and are expected to make their initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson. The criminal complaint was filed under seal Feb. 5, and automatically unsealed upon their arrests.

Miguel Hernandez-Maldonado, 42, Manuel Garcia-Cabrera, 40, and Luis Diaz-Tinoco, 47, all illegal aliens from Mexico, pleaded guilty to the charges Oct. 29, 2015. All three were convicted of one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and one count of illegal re-entry after deportation.

Tiara Jade Newman, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. In her plea, she admitted that on March 21, 2015, she and her husband, co-defendant Reginald Newman, 29, took a 17-year-old girl from Topeka to Junction City, Kansas, for the purpose of prostitution.

Kurtis William Johnson, 26, and Tara Malinda Ridley, 26, both of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty before U. S. District Judge Ralph R Erickson. Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking children and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Ridley pleaded guilty to one count of interstate travel in aid of prostitution.

Ping Liu, 44, of Wichita, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement to prostitution. Liu was also ordered to serve five years’ probation.

Dontre D'Sean McHenry, aka Dontre Sean McHenry, aka Avon, and aka Rico, 26, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to 293 months in prison for recruiting and prostituting teenage girls throughout Minnesota. McHenry pleaded guilty to these charges Oct. 17, 2014.

Phillip Dwayne Lloyd, aka Marcus Strong, aka Philip Dwayne Loyd, aka Dwayne Smith, aka Alfred Woods and aka ‘PC,' 44, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty to recruiting and sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl and for directing and producing a video of the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Co-defendant Raquel Mone Belcher, 29, also of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to sex traffic minors.

U.S. Attorney Kevin W. Techau held a press conference Monday at the Marion, Iowa, Police Department, in cooperation with HSI, the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement and local non-profit Cedar Rapids Gives, to make the announcement.