Thread: Prostitution sting nets 8 arrests so far in Durham

http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-764974.html

Prostitution sting nets 8 arrests so far


By BriAnne Dopart : The Herald-Sun
bdopart@heraldsun.com
Aug 28, 2006 : 10:11 pm ET

DURHAM -- The house at 1949 Cheek Road -- one of three allegedly of ill repute targeted in a wide-ranging prostitution sting Saturday -- stood silent and empty Monday evening.

A trash bag, a torn sofa, and a few empty matchbooks strewn around were all that remained inside the house that city, state and federal officials called a brothel at a news conference earlier in the day.

A man calling himself Juan Gonzales said he had no idea the home was a place of business for prostitutes and was only attempting to visit friends when he pulled up to the vacant residence Monday afternoon.

Gonzales, a construction worker who has lived in Durham for 10 years, said his friend's name is Ernesto and that he, Gonzales, had not heard about the sting operation or arrests at the Cheek Road house.

Gonzales said he had visited only once before, when Ernesto and several male friends were present. One woman was also present at that time, he said, but he did not notice any sexual activity taking place.

Asked if he was shocked to hear about Hispanic prostitution activity in Durham, he said, "I'm not surprised. The Latino community is very big here."

Another man who was visiting a body shop that sits in front of the alleged brothel admitted to having visited the residence but would not give his name.

A prostitution ring involving women lured from Mexico with phony job promises has been linked to at least three alleged brothels operating in Durham and up to 40 people in the Raleigh-Durham area, according to federal and state investigators.

Eight people were arrested Saturday at three alleged Durham brothels and more arrests may follow, officials said at a news conference Monday.

"This is a very highly organized, highly sophisticated organization. I don't think we can understate that," said Gregory Baker, supervising special agent for the FBI in Raleigh.

Baker said the brothel network has been taking shape in the Raleigh-Durham area for several years and has links to New York. The operation yielded similar arrests last month in Raleigh.

The Durham arrests -- at 116 Junction Road, 217 North Hoover Road and 1949 Cheek Road -- stem from a year-long partnership involving Durham and Raleigh police, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspector, the N.C. Highway Patrol and federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Durham County tax records show Francis Mutura of 5804 Brambleton Ave., Raleigh, owns the home on Junction Road. Southern Repair Services Inc., P.O. Box 685, Durham, owns the Cheek Road residence, and Patricia A. and Daniel T. Glosson, P.O. Box 179, Rougemont, own the North Hoover Road house.

No telephone number was available for Mutura, and neither of the other two residences' owners immediately returned calls seeking comment.

Law enforcement officials also reported serving a warrant at a house at 509 E. Geer St., owned by Rental Investments LLC, 4791 S. NC HWY 87 in Graham, tax records show, but found no one present.

Tax records show $1,203.47 in 2005 property taxes on the Junction Road house unpaid, while property tax payments are up to date on the other three properties. Property taxes for 2006 are not due until Jan. 5, 2007.

Authorities say they targeted only a few of the people they believe are behind the alleged sex ring. But as more people become aware of the prostitution scheme, more will likely come forward with information, said Durham Police Chief Steve Chalmers.

Like the alleged brothel on Cheek Road, the 116 Junction Road site appeared abandoned except for a lone, half-full Corona beer resting on the front steps.

Phone cards advertising cheap phone calls from the Carolinas to Honduras littered the front and back lawns of the ranch-style residence. A shiny "For Sale" sign rested against the back wall of the carport.

Neighbor Larry Matlock said he hadn't noticed anything strange at the residence except an excess of cars.

"I had no idea," he said. "And I'm [home] from sunup to sundown."

Similarly, Tanisha Kincy, who lives two doors down from the alleged brothel on North Hoover Road, said she thought nothing of the several vehicles she saw parked in front of and behind the house each day.

There is so much regular traffic around the residence, located across the street from a bus depot and just yards from Junction's intersection with Holloway Street, that Kincy said she didn't think anything of the cars parked in the home's yard.

While reporting on this story, a Herald-Sun reporter saw several men pull up to the homes identified by police as brothels. None of the men said they were aware the residences housed prostitutes.

Baker said the brothels -- where women performed sex acts for between $30 and $50 -- were the final destination for illegal immigrants lured to the U.S. with empty promises of employment.

After incurring travel expenses sometimes totaling nearly $6,000, the women are offered a means of "working off" that debt, he said.

Some of the women, however, told investigators they were not held against their will while they worked in the brothels, Baker said.

"They were pretty much able to come and go as they please, but [if you were an illegal immigrant] where are you gonna go ... if you had no infrastructure, no support? It's a very transient lifestyle."

According to a June report by the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Mexico plays a role in trafficking for sexual exploitation or labor, primarily through fraudulent offers of employment or threats of violence.

Mexican officials have identified 126 gangs involved in trafficking, the report said.

The people allegedly behind the Durham brothels are both legal and illegal immigrants, authorities said. Officials could not confirm if they believe the group has ties to locally active Latino gangs such as MS-13.

Investigators believe the leaders of the group are based in New York, though no arrests have been made there, Baker said.

State Department statistics show that up to 50 percent of the 600,000 to 800,000 people trafficked across international borders annually are juveniles. But Baker said investigators have not linked children to any of the local brothels.

All the men and women arrested over the weekend were charged with offenses relating to prostitution. At least three people are being held for deportation.

Originally Posted by Brian503a

http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-764974.html

Prostitution sting nets 8 arrests so far


By BriAnne Dopart : The Herald-Sun
bdopart@heraldsun.com
Aug 28, 2006 : 10:11 pm ET

DURHAM -- The house at 1949 Cheek Road -- one of three allegedly of ill repute targeted in a wide-ranging prostitution sting Saturday -- stood silent and empty Monday evening.

A trash bag, a torn sofa, and a few empty matchbooks strewn around were all that remained inside the house that city, state and federal officials called a brothel at a news conference earlier in the day.

A man calling himself Juan Gonzales said he had no idea the home was a place of business for prostitutes and was only attempting to visit friends when he pulled up to the vacant residence Monday afternoon.

Gonzales, a construction worker who has lived in Durham for 10 years, said his friend's name is Ernesto and that he, Gonzales, had not heard about the sting operation or arrests at the Cheek Road house.

Gonzales said he had visited only once before, when Ernesto and several male friends were present. One woman was also present at that time, he said, but he did not notice any sexual activity taking place.

Asked if he was shocked to hear about Hispanic prostitution activity in Durham, he said, "I'm not surprised. The Latino community is very big here."

Another man who was visiting a body shop that sits in front of the alleged brothel admitted to having visited the residence but would not give his name.

A prostitution ring involving women lured from Mexico with phony job promises has been linked to at least three alleged brothels operating in Durham and up to 40 people in the Raleigh-Durham area, according to federal and state investigators.

Eight people were arrested Saturday at three alleged Durham brothels and more arrests may follow, officials said at a news conference Monday.

"This is a very highly organized, highly sophisticated organization. I don't think we can understate that," said Gregory Baker, supervising special agent for the FBI in Raleigh.

Baker said the brothel network has been taking shape in the Raleigh-Durham area for several years and has links to New York. The operation yielded similar arrests last month in Raleigh.

The Durham arrests -- at 116 Junction Road, 217 North Hoover Road and 1949 Cheek Road -- stem from a year-long partnership involving Durham and Raleigh police, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspector, the N.C. Highway Patrol and federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Durham County tax records show Francis Mutura of 5804 Brambleton Ave., Raleigh, owns the home on Junction Road. Southern Repair Services Inc., P.O. Box 685, Durham, owns the Cheek Road residence, and Patricia A. and Daniel T. Glosson, P.O. Box 179, Rougemont, own the North Hoover Road house.

No telephone number was available for Mutura, and neither of the other two residences' owners immediately returned calls seeking comment.

Law enforcement officials also reported serving a warrant at a house at 509 E. Geer St., owned by Rental Investments LLC, 4791 S. NC HWY 87 in Graham, tax records show, but found no one present.

Tax records show $1,203.47 in 2005 property taxes on the Junction Road house unpaid, while property tax payments are up to date on the other three properties. Property taxes for 2006 are not due until Jan. 5, 2007.

Authorities say they targeted only a few of the people they believe are behind the alleged sex ring. But as more people become aware of the prostitution scheme, more will likely come forward with information, said Durham Police Chief Steve Chalmers.

Like the alleged brothel on Cheek Road, the 116 Junction Road site appeared abandoned except for a lone, half-full Corona beer resting on the front steps.

Phone cards advertising cheap phone calls from the Carolinas to Honduras littered the front and back lawns of the ranch-style residence. A shiny "For Sale" sign rested against the back wall of the carport.

Neighbor Larry Matlock said he hadn't noticed anything strange at the residence except an excess of cars.

"I had no idea," he said. "And I'm [home] from sunup to sundown."

Similarly, Tanisha Kincy, who lives two doors down from the alleged brothel on North Hoover Road, said she thought nothing of the several vehicles she saw parked in front of and behind the house each day.

There is so much regular traffic around the residence, located across the street from a bus depot and just yards from Junction's intersection with Holloway Street, that Kincy said she didn't think anything of the cars parked in the home's yard.

While reporting on this story, a Herald-Sun reporter saw several men pull up to the homes identified by police as brothels. None of the men said they were aware the residences housed prostitutes.

Baker said the brothels -- where women performed sex acts for between $30 and $50 -- were the final destination for illegal immigrants lured to the U.S. with empty promises of employment.

After incurring travel expenses sometimes totaling nearly $6,000, the women are offered a means of "working off" that debt, he said.

Some of the women, however, told investigators they were not held against their will while they worked in the brothels, Baker said.

"They were pretty much able to come and go as they please, but [if you were an illegal immigrant] where are you gonna go ... if you had no infrastructure, no support? It's a very transient lifestyle."

According to a June report by the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Mexico plays a role in trafficking for sexual exploitation or labor, primarily through fraudulent offers of employment or threats of violence.

Mexican officials have identified 126 gangs involved in trafficking, the report said.

The people allegedly behind the Durham brothels are both legal and illegal immigrants, authorities said. Officials could not confirm if they believe the group has ties to locally active Latino gangs such as MS-13.

Investigators believe the leaders of the group are based in New York, though no arrests have been made there, Baker said.

State Department statistics show that up to 50 percent of the 600,000 to 800,000 people trafficked across international borders annually are juveniles. But Baker said investigators have not linked children to any of the local brothels.

All the men and women arrested over the weekend were charged with offenses relating to prostitution. At least three people are being held for deportation.

It looks like "a year-long partnership involving Durham and Raleigh police, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspector, the N.C. Highway Patrol and federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement" was a waste of time and money if,after a year, they can only deport 3 Illegals.

A man calling himself Juan Gonzales said he had no idea the home was a place of business for prostitutes and was only attempting to visit friends when he pulled up to the vacant residence Monday afternoon.

Anybody who believes this please stand on your head in the corner.

Asked if he was shocked to hear about Hispanic prostitution activity in Durham, he said, "I'm not surprised. The Latino community is very big here."

Nobody should be surprised. "The Latino community" is very big all over NC.

"This is a very highly organized, highly sophisticated organization. I don't think we can understate that," said Gregory Baker, supervising special agent for the FBI in Raleigh.

Understate?

"They were pretty much able to come and go as they please, but [if you were an illegal immigrant] where are you gonna go ... if you had no infrastructure, no support? It's a very transient lifestyle."

Mr. Baker must be delusional. ALL illegals here come and go as they please and have MORE support than taxpayers.

Baker said the brothel network has been taking shape in the Raleigh-Durham area for several years and has links to New York.

And yet they only managed to arrest 8 people, holding 3 for deportation.

"I had no idea," he said. "And I'm [home] from sunup to sundown."

Most of their business was probably from sundown to sunup Mr. Matlock.

While reporting on this story, a Herald-Sun reporter saw several men pull up to the homes identified by police as brothels. None of the men said they were aware the residences housed prostitutes.