Sex Trafficker - Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez Gets Sentenced to Prison

August 19, 2009

LOS ANGELES CA NEWS -- Five members of extended family of sex traffickers, including Maribel Rodriquez Vasquez were sentenced to federal prison Monday, by U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Morrow, who presided over the women's trial earlier this year. All receiving lengthy sentences for their roles in an international sex trafficking ring that lured young Guatemalan women and girls to the Los Angeles area and forced them into prostitution.

The five members of the extended family consisted of four Guatemalan nationals and one Mexican national received 30 to 40 year sentences in prison for their roles in the international sex trafficking ring.

• Gladys Vasquez Valenzuela, AKA Gladys, 38, was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment.
• Mirna Jeanneth Vasquez Valenzuela, AKA Miriam, 27, earned 30 years imprisonment.
• Gabriel Mendez, 34, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment.
• Maria de los Angeles Vicente AKA Angela, 29, received 30 years imprisonment.
• Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez, 29, merited 30 years imprisonment.

Moreover, Maribel Rodriquez Vasquez eluded arrest for almost two years until the FBI requested assistance from of the general public in locating Vasquez’s whereabouts. Amazingly, Vasquez had never left LA.

After a six-week trial, Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez and her fellow criminals were convicted on Wednesday, of conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and importation of aliens for purposes of prostitution. Evidence provided at trial showed the sex trafficking organization collected the profits generated by the compelled prostitution, and maintained control of the prostitution proceeds, earning tens of thousands of dollars for their profit while the victims, most underage Central American girls as young as 13, received almost nothing.

Additionally, four other defendants have pleaded guilty for their role in the scheme. Flor Morales Sanchez was sentenced in April to two years in prison, and three other defendants – Pablo Bonifacio, Luis Vicente Vasquez and Albertina Vasquez Valenzeula – are awaiting sentencing.

Loretta King, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights said: "It is heart-wrenching to see young girls and women being victimized and exploited in this horrific way. The Civil Rights Division will work in conjunction with U.S. Attorneys Offices nationwide to stamp out this vicious and intolerable crime and seek significant prison sentences for anyone engaging in these despicable acts. This verdict is a message to all international and domestic sex traffickers that they cannot escape justice for committing egregious human rights violations."

U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said: "The defendants in this case trafficked in human beings, using these victims' desire for a better life to lure them into a situation where they were deprived of their basic human rights. No one should be victimized in this way."

Approximately eleven months ago, Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez was arrested on Monday, September 15, 2008 in Los Angeles, California, which goes to show that fugitives do not necessarily leave the country, state, or even the area where their arrest warrants are issued.

Vasquez had a $10,000 bounty posted by the FBI for her arrest. Vasquez, a known prostitute, was most wanted for her alleged involvement in a sex trafficking organization operating in Los Angeles, California. In addition, Vasquez, is one of six women of a Guatemalan family who were charged with running the prostitution operation.

On December 18, 2006, a warrant was issued for Vasquez's arrest by the United States District Court, Central District of California, after she was charged with:

• Knowingly and intentionally concealing, harboring, and shielding illegal aliens in the United States for financial gain.
• Importation into and harboring of aliens in the United States for purposes of prostitution.
• Aiding and abetting.

In Guatemala, the sex trafficking organization recruited young women, many of them underage minors as young as 13, with the lure of jobs in restaurants and retail stores in the United States. Once the women reached Los Angeles, they were informed their "job" would be working as prostitutes. When the women protested, they were informed they had no choice. Twelve victims, including five minors, of this sex trafficking organization endured frequent threats of violence, as well as physical abuse incurred by Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez. Meanwhile, they were forced to work seven days a week as prostitutes in order pay off smuggling fees charged by these sex traffickers. Fees often accumulated upwards to $20,000. Victims were also guarded to prevent their escape.

The victims of this sex trafficking organization endured frequent threats of violence, as well as physical abuse incurred by Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez. Meanwhile, they were forced to work seven days a week as prostitutes in order pay off smuggling fees charged by these sex traffickers. Fees often accumulated upwards to $20,000. Victims were also guarded to prevent their escape.

Moreover, the sex trafficking organization allegedly used "witch doctors" to warn the victims that curses would be placed on them and their families if they attempt to escape. In one incident, four members of the sex trafficking ring repeatedly kicked and hit one of the victims following an unsuccessful escape attempt.

Originally, a law enforcement multi-agency investigative probe began when two victims escaped with the help of a client and ultimately contacted law enforcement authorities. Subsequently, two other victims were liberated by law enforcement authorities in November 2006. Furthermore, after a successful escape of the first two women, Gladys Vasquez Valenzuela was alleged to have made repeated calls to one of the women's cell phones threatening to kill her and her family. Over the course of the investigation, the following five women, along with several men have been arrested:

• Gladys Vasquez Valenzuela, 36, Maribel's aunt.
• Jeanette Vasquez Valenzuela, a.k.a. Miriam, 25, who is Gladys' sister.
• Albertina Vasquez Valenzuela, a.k.a. Christina, 48; who is a third sister.
• Maria Vicente de Los Angeles, also known as Angela, 27, who is Albertina's daughter.
• Flor Morales Sanchez, 33

Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez, is believed to be the niece of the three Valenzuela sisters.

Finally, the successful dismantling of this sex trafficking organization is directly accredited to the three-month investigation by the Los Angeles Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Labor, and the Los Angeles Police Department. While credit for the successful prosecution of these five sex traffickers, goes to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cheryl O’Connor Murphy, Curtis A. Kin, Anthony J. Lewis, Sara J. Heidel and Special Litigation Counsel Andrew J. Kline from the Civil Rights Division.

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