In Palm Beach County, Florida, an alarming case has unveiled, featuring a man accused of running a brothel and trading. Manuel Linares, age 73, was arrested on charges including labor trafficking, and sex trafficking, as reported by CBS12 News. The investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) into the operation brought these charges to light on September 20.
Neighbors near the Clinton Boulevard home in Lake Worth were in disbelief when PBSO's SWAT unit and border patrol agents descended on the area. Exclusive video captured three women being escorted from the site of the alleged brothel. "It’s absolutely crazy. You hear this stuff on the news and you see it everywhere else. You never really think it’s going to be like, literally, ten feet away from you," Miguel Ocasio, a neighbor, expressed his shock in an interview with MyFox28Columbus.
The case against Linares materialized when two victims recently came forward. A woman from the Dominican Republic relayed to detectives how a purported spa job in Florida morphed into a nightmare. Upon her arrival, she was instructed that her duties would, in fact, include engaging in sexual acts. As per a probable cause affidavit against Linares, obtained by CBS12 News, when the woman objected, she was threatened with intervention by law enforcement, pushing her towards the inescapable decision to capitulate to the demands.
The details continue, with reports surfacing of another man forced to collaborate with the operation. This individual recounted to the PBSO a harrowing encounter where a gun was pressed to his head at Club Ivey in West Palm Beach. There, Linares, and his associate communicated he did not have a choice. Customers, or 'Johns', paid $50 for a poker chip which entitled them to 15 minutes with a woman, according to details shared with CBS12 News. This mechanic also revealed how the women were given crystal methamphetamine to induce compliance.
Despite the dehumanizing conditions these women faced, Linares would permit them to retain only half of their earnings per encounter, with the woman from Connecticut amassing $900 over an undefined period—this narrated in her conversation with deputies. Following the execution of a search warrant on the property, further evidence corroborated the informant's accounts, leading to Linares’ arrest. However, he has posted bond and awaits his next court proceedings scheduled for the coming month, as reported by MyFox28Columbus.
