Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Extradition Of Four Mexican Nationals For International Sex Trafficking Offenses

   Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Acting Assistant Attorney General John M. Gore of the Civil Rights Division, and Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced the extradition of EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA, a/k/a “Chavito,” a/k/a “Cepillo,” EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO, ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, a/k/a “El Flaco,” and PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO, who are charged together with RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS, a/k/a “Chicarcas,” a/k/a “El Negro,” ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA,” a/k/a “Giro,” JULIO SAINZ-FLORES, a/k/a “Rogelio,” and JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, a/k/a “Chegoya,” a/k/a “El Guero,” with sex trafficking offenses in a 23-count Superseding Indictment (the “Indictment”) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.  EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA and EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO were extradited to the United States from Mexico on April 26, 2018, and presented before United States Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron on April 27, 2018.  ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS and PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO were extradited to the United States from Mexico on May 2, 2018, and presented yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman.  This case is assigned to United States District Judge Andrew J. Carter, Jr.

The Indictment, which was returned under seal on September 15, 2016, alleges that the defendants are members of an international sex trafficking organization that exploited and trafficked adult and minor women in Mexico and in the United States from at least 2000 to 2016.  Members of the defendants’ sex trafficking organization, which operated largely as a family business, used false promises, physical and sexual violence, and threats to force and coerce adult and minor women to engage in commercial sex for the organization’s profit in both Mexico and the United States. 

As part of a coordinated bilateral law enforcement action, six defendants located in Mexico – EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA, EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO, ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO, JULIO SAINZ-FLORES, and JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS – were arrested in Mexico and taken into custody by Mexican authorities pursuant to provisional arrest warrants requested by the United States in August 2016.  As noted, the first four of these defendants were extradited to the United States from Mexico within the past week.  The fifth of these defendants, JULIO SAINZ-FLORES, was previously extradited to the United States from Mexico on June 8, 2017, and was presented in Manhattan federal court before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein on June 9, 2017.  JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS remains in Mexico pending extradition proceedings.  The two defendants who were arrested in the United States, RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS and ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA, were presented in Manhattan federal court on October 27, 2016, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that violates both the rule of law and the most basic standards of human dignity.  These defendants allegedly deprived women and girls of their freedom, and forced them into prostitution against their will.  The scope of devastation these defendants allegedy inflicted on countless victims is beyond comprehension.  But now they face significant criminal charges in an American court, and will have to answer for their allegedly reprensible actions.  Our office is dedicated to combatting this demoralizing crime and helping survivors reclaim their lives.”

Acting Assistant Attorney General John M. Gore of the Civil Rights Division said:  “The Civil Rights Division will not tolerate anyone violating an individual’s rights and freedoms through sex trafficking.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to vindicate the rights of victims and survivors of sex trafficking by dismantling transnational organized trafficking enterprises and putting an end to these egregious civil rights violations.”

HSI Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez said:  “These four individuals were transported more than 2,000 miles from Mexico to be held accountable for the callous criminal actions alleged in this case.  Those extradited, along with others, allegedly operated a family business centered on making money from exploiting females they forced into sex slavery.  Now these traffickers will face justice where they allegedly made their income, right here in New York.  Human Trafficking remains a priority for HSI, whose primary focus is to rescue victims and release them from the grip of their captors.”

As alleged in the Indictment:[1] 

EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA, RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS, ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA, JULIO SAINZ-FLORES, JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO, and EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO, the defendants, are members of an international sex trafficking organization (the “STO”).  Many of the members of the STO are related by blood, marriage, and community.  For example:  EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA is the uncle of RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS, ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA, JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, and ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS; PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO and EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO are brothers; JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS and ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS are also brothers; and ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA is RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS’s brother-in-law.

Between 2000 and the present, members of the STO (the “Traffickers”) have used false promises, physical and sexual violence, threats of the same, lies, and coercion to force and coerce adult and minor women (the “Victims”) to work in prostitution in both Mexico and the United States.

In most cases, a Trafficker entices a Victim – frequently a minor – in Mexico.  The Trafficker then uses multiple means to isolate the Victim from her family.  In some cases, the Trafficker uses romantic promises to induce the Victim to leave her family and live with him.  In other cases, the Trafficker rapes the Victim, making it difficult for her to return to her family due to the associated stigma of the rape.  Once a Victim is separated from her family, the Trafficker frequently monitors her communications, keeps her locked in an apartment, leaves her without food, and engages in physical or sexual violence against the Victim.  Traffickers often tell Victims that the Traffickers owe a significant debt and that the Victim must work in prostitution to assist in repaying the debt.  Traffickers typically begin forcing the Victims to work in prostitution in Mexico, frequently in a neighborhood of Mexico City known as “La Merced.”   Victims are often required to see at least 20 to 40 customers per day.  Traffickers monitor the number of clients a Victim sees by surveilling the Victim, communicating with brothel workers, and by counting the number of condoms provided to a Victim.  Traffickers typically require the Victims to turn over all of the prostitution proceeds to the Traffickers. 

After a Victim has worked in prostitution in Mexico for some time, Traffickers typically arrange for the Victim to be smuggled into the United States.  Members of the STO assist one another in making smuggling arrangements.  In many cases, multiple Traffickers and multiple Victims are smuggled into the United States together.  In other cases, one Trafficker may remain in Mexico while arranging for a Victim to be smuggled together with another Trafficker and other Victims.

Once in the United States, the members of the STO generally maintain their Victims at one of several shared apartments in New York City.  Victims living in the same apartment are frequently forbidden to communicate with one another.  Once in the United States, Traffickers continue to use physical and sexual violence, threats of the same, lies, and coercion to force the Victims to work in prostitution. 

In most cases, the Trafficker or another member of the STO provides a Victim with contact information with which to find work.  The Victims typically work weeklong shifts either in a brothel, or in a “delivery service.”  In a delivery service, the Victim is delivered to a customer’s home by a “driver.”  These brothels and delivery services are located both within New York and in surrounding states, including, but not limited to, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Generally, each customer pays $30-35 for 15 minutes of sex.  Of that, half of the money typically goes to the driver (in the case of a delivery service) or to the brothel.  The other $15 goes to the Victim, who is then typically forced to give all of the proceeds to the Trafficker.  When a Trafficker is unavailable, a Victim may also give the proceeds to another member of the STO.

The Traffickers then frequently send, or have their Victims send, some of the prostitution proceeds to Traffickers’ family members and associates in Mexico by wire transfer.  Such transfers provide financial assistance to the Traffickers’ families and provide financial support to the Traffickers themselves if they return to Mexico.                   

Since 2009, the Department of Justice – through the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit – and HSI have collaborated with Mexican law enforcement counterparts in a Bilateral Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative aimed at strengthening high-impact prosecutions under both U.S. and Mexican law.  The initiative is aimed at dismantling human trafficking networks operating across the United States-Mexico border, bringing human traffickers to justice, reuniting victims with their children, and restoring the rights and dignity of human trafficking victims held under the trafficking networks’ control.  These efforts have resulted in successful prosecutions in both Mexico and the United States, including U.S. federal prosecutions of over 50 defendants in multiple cases in New York, Georgia, Florida, and Texas since 2009, and numerous Mexican federal and state prosecutions of associated sex traffickers.  In announcing the extradition, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman and Acting Assistant Attorney General John M. Gore of the Civil Rights Division commended U.S. and Mexican law enforcement partners for their shared and continued commitment to coordinated bilateral anti-trafficking efforts.

Mr. Berman also praised the outstanding investigative work of HSI, the work of the Mexican government, and Mexican law enforcement in executing the arrests and preparing for the extradition of the defendants to the United States, and the assistance provided by the New York City Police Department, the State Department, the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.  The Justice Department also acknowledged the non-governmental victim service providers and advocates for their dedicated efforts to restore and improve the lives of survivors of trafficking and their families in connection with this case and others.

Charts containing the names, ages, residences, charges, mandatory minimum penalties, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States v. Efrain Granados-Corona, a/k/a “Chavito,” a/k/a “Cepillo,” et al.,

S2 16 Cr. 324 (ALC)

COUNT / CHARGE	DEFENDANT(S)	MANDATORY MINIMUM PENALTIES	MAXIMUM PENALTIES
Count 1: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking 18 U.S.C. § 1594	EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA,    a/k/a “Chavito,”    a/k/a “Cepillo,” RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chicarcas,”    a/k/a “El Negro,” ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA,    a/k/a “Giro,”  JULIO SAINZ-FLORES,    a/k/a “Rogelio,” JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chegoya,”    a/k/a “El Guero,” ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “El Flaco,” PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO, EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO	N/A	Life in prison
Count 2: Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), (b)(2), and 2	RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chicarcas,”    a/k/a “El Negro”	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 3: Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), (b)(2), and 2	EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA,  a/k/a “Chavito,” a/k/a “Cepillo”	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 4: Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), (b)(2), and 2	JULIO SAINZ-FLORES,    a/k/a “Rogelio”	15 years in prison
Count 5: Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), (b)(2), and 2	EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA,    a/k/a “Chavito,”    a/k/a “Cepillo,” RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chicarcas,”    a/k/a “El Negro”	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 6: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), and 2	EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA,    a/k/a “Chavito,”    a/k/a “Cepillo,” RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chicarcas,”    a/k/a “El Negro,” PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 7: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), and 2	ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA,    a/k/a “Giro”	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 8: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), and 2	ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA,    a/k/a “Giro”	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 9: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), and 2	JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chegoya,”    a/k/a “El Guero”	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 10: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), and 2	ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “El Flaco”	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 11: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), and 2	EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 12: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, and Coercion 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a), (b)(1), and 2	PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO, EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO	15 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 13: Transportation of a Minor for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2423(a) and 2	EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA,    a/k/a “Chavito,”    a/k/a “Cepillo”	10 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 14: Transportation of a Minor for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2423(a) and 2	RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chicarcas,”    a/k/a “El Negro”	10 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 15: Transportation of a Minor for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2423(a) and 2	RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chicarcas,”    a/k/a “El Negro”	10 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 16: Transportation of a Minor for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2423(a) and 2	JULIO SAINZ-FLORES,    a/k/a “Rogelio”	10 years in prison	Life in prison
Count 17: Transportation for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2	EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA,    a/k/a “Chavito,”    a/k/a “Cepillo”	N/A	10 years in prison
Count 18: Transportation for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2	ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA,    a/k/a “Giro”	N/A	10 years in prison
Count 19: Transportation for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2	ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA,    a/k/a “Giro”	N/A	10 years in prison
Count 20: Transportation for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2	JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “Chegoya,”    a/k/a “El Guero”	N/A	10 years in prison
Count 21: Transportation for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2	ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,    a/k/a “El Flaco”	N/A	10 years in prison
Count 22: Transportation for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2	PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO	N/A	10 years in prison
Count 23: Transportation for Purposes of Prostitution 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421 and 2	EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO	N/A	10 years in prison

DEFENDANT	AGE	RESIDENCE
EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA,      a/k/a “Chavito,”      a/k/a “Cepillo”	42	Mexico
RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS,      a/k/a “Chicarcas,”      a/k/a “El Negro”	34	New York
ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA,      a/k/a “Giro”	35	New York
JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,      a/k/a “Chegoya,”      a/k/a “El Guero”	32	Mexico
JULIO SAINZ-FLORES,    a/k/a “Rogelio”	36	Mexico
ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS,      a/k/a “El Flaco”	24	Mexico
PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO	38	Mexico
EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO	36	Mexico

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.