Four individuals found guilty of running a Queens-based sex trafficking ring have been sentenced to prison terms spanning 25 to 35 years, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. Blanca Hernandez Morales, the last of the convicted, received the longest sentence of 35 years, accompanied by a restitution order of $179,300.
The United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall imposed the sentences on Morales and her co-defendants Roberto Cesar Cid Dominguez, Luz Cardona, and Jose Facundo Zarate Morales their involvement was direct and also based on family ties, involving coercive sex trafficking of minors stretching for over a decade; their sentences were 375, 325, and 300 months respectively. United States Attorney Joseph Nocella praised the conclusion of the case, stating, "Today’s sentence holds the defendants accountable for their decade-long exploitation of young women and minors and is a reckoning for the perpetrators of these deplorable crimes," as per the statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York.
These convictions have highlighted the harrowing realities of human trafficking, wherein victims, including minors from Mexico, were promised false employment and a better life in the United States, only to be forced into prostitution upon arrival. Some victims described being made to service upwards of 20 men daily, a brutal schedule that underscores the dehumanizing nature of these crimes.
An additional element in this case was the corruption of law enforcement officer Wayne Peiffer who accepted bribes from Cid Dominguez in the form of free sexual services to overlook the sex trafficking activities within his jurisdiction, Peiffer later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion, demonstrating the depth of the organization's influence and the lengths they would go to protect their criminal enterprise and he was sentenced to 36 months in custody the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed.
The lead prosecutors, Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel A. Bennek and Nicholas Moscow managed the case through the Office's Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section.
