Mexixan pimp in Austin, TX ran multi-state brothels

[sam]

Immigrants forced into prostitution


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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to managing brothels as part of a nationwide ring that forced immigrant women into prostitution was sentenced to six years and eight months in federal prison.

Juan Balderas-Orosco, a Mexican citizen, will be deported upon his release from prison.

Four others connected to the case were also sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks.

Twelve people have faced smuggling, prostitution and financial charges related to the case. Six have been sentenced, three have pleaded guilty and await sentencing and three are fugitives.

Balderas ran brothels in Texas, Oklahoma and Nevada that were part of a larger crime network that included brothels in at least 13 states, according to court documents and testimony.

The ringleaders sneaked hundreds of women into the country, mostly from Latin America, and forced them to have sex with as many as 40 men a day, many of them also illegal immigrants. They moved the women from brothel to brothel and kept their earnings, according to court documents.

During the sentencing hearing Friday, Balderas’ attorney argued that the women who worked as prostitutes were given cell phones, allowed to keep some of their earnings and enjoyed periods of freedom.

The judge said the women were kept like prisoners.

[sam]

Members of smuggling and prostitution ring sentenced

590 KLBJ-AM

Several confessed members of a human smuggling and prostitution ring were sentenced to prison time by Federal District Judge Sam Sparks on Friday. Juan Balderas-Orosco, convicted of managing an illegal brothel on FM 969, received a sentence of more than 6 ½ years behind bars for his role in bringing women into the country from Mexico and South America and then forcing them into prostitution.

The ring operated houses of prostitution in Austin, Ft. Worth, Oklahoma City, and Las Vegas, and prosecutors say they were staffed by hundreds of women who faced the threat of death if they tried to leave. One investigator testified today in federal court that the ring sent armed gunmen to track down one woman who managed to escape. Federal agents also testified that the organizers of the operation routinely withheld money from the women and supervised any trips outside of the house so they could not get away.

Juan Balderas-Orosco received the stiffest sentence of the seven defendants in court today. “He operated multiple brothels. He handled finances and transportation, although he wasn’t at the top of the money pile,” said Federal District Judge Sam Sparks. “He clearly was the leader and organizer of this putrid affair.”

Balderas-Orosco could have faced decades behind bars, but prosecutors recommended a shorter sentence because of his cooperation with their investigation. The say the organizer of the brothel network was a woman, Maria Camacho Teran. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for later this month. Other members of the criminal enterprise, including those who transported some of the women, received sentences ranging from three to five years in prison.