NJ’s Trenton Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said Monday that seven people have been charged in relation to two human trafficking enterprises in North and South Jersey where victims, including children, were beaten and coerced into prostitution.
An accused prostitution network headed by Bridgeton resident Usiel Luna, 42, was discovered during the Cumberland County probe. Luna, co-defendants Jose Perez-Lopez, 40; Rosendo Vazquez-Hernandez, 35; and Yerson Puentes-Marquez, 28, are accused by the authorities of luring women into prostitution at a Bridgeton brothel by posing as dancers. Every week, new victims were allegedly enlisted from Paterson, New Jersey, and Queens, New York, and forced to have sex with hundreds of men.
Platkin stated that the operation seems to be connected to a wider organized crime ring, although he did not disclose the immigration status of the Bridgeton suspects.
During searches of the brothel and Luna’s home, investigators found methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and more than $50,000 in cash, officials said.
Investigators claim that two Newark residents, Donte Barkley, 28, and Khailah Meekins, 21, trafficked three young victims, ages 13 and 15, in another investigation that was concentrated in Essex County. According to reports, the defendants used smartphone applications and internet advertisements of nude photos to set up sexual encounters for the children.
In hotels and short-term rentals, the defendants were reportedly paid by customers to sexually abuse the victims. According to the prosecution, the defendants used physical force to subdue the victims, including stomping, hair pulling, and beatings with an extension cord.
New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick J. Callahan stated that these charges are an important step in preventing exploitation of vulnerable people. We are unwavering in our resolve to bring traffickers to justice.
The Human Trafficking Unit of the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), which was founded in 2023, was in charge of both instances. “There is no tolerance for the exploitation of anyone, especially in this dehumanizing way,” Attorney General Platkin said, underscoring the significance of the Unit’s work.
The public is urged to report suspected human trafficking by calling the confidential hotline in New Jersey, which is 855-END-NJ-HT.
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