Hundreds of women may have been victims of an alleged New York sex trafficker who enticed some victims through fraudulent internet advertisements for waitressing jobs, according to federal authorities on Tuesday.
Ysenni Gomez, the accused madam, reportedly targeted newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrants in Westchester County and the Bronx to entrap them in forced prostitution.
Gomez, 39, was charged earlier this month in the Southern District of New York with sex trafficking by force and a related interstate commerce crime in correlation with one alleged victim, an undocumented Venezuelan woman, according to a charging documents.
Authorities are looking for more potential victims, with the FBI saying Tuesday that the suspected mastermind may have trafficked “hundreds” of women of unspecified ages.
“We believe there are likely many more victims,” FBI Supervisory Special Agent Brendan Kenney told The Post, adding, “This operation could have been going on for as many as 10 years.”
Embed from Getty ImagesAccording to investigators, Gomez marketed her body exchange in internet advertisements, possibly under the business name “Chicas Express.”
Kenney mentioned that approximately 1,600 ads trying to promote sex trafficking on websites such as Facebook, Bedpage.com, and MegaPersonals.com could be connected to Gomez.
Gomez is accused in the case of duping the Venezuelan woman into thinking she was currently recruiting for a waitressing work at a Manhattan eatery in June.
Prosecutors claim that after an original dubious interview, the woman arrived at the restaurant but was advised by Gomez to get into a vehicle.
The alleged sex trafficker then informed the woman that she would be functioning as a prostitute rather than a waitress, and threatened to contact immigration officials if she failed to comply.
According to the complaint, the victim initially refused to participate in sex work but eventually agreed during a discussion with Gomez at Grand Central Station.
The victim was forced to perform prostitution for the next 3 weeks, having to meet up to 3 men an evening for 3 nights a week, according to the complaint.
Embed from Getty ImagesAccording to the complaint, the victim met both “regular” and “VIP” clients, who were required to pay $200 and up to $700 for each encounter, respectively.
An undercover officer tracked Gomez down earlier in the month after responding to a Bedpage.com ad that featured a photo of a nearly nude woman on all fours and marketed, “Yonkers kitty cat available to tease outcall-23.”
The covert agent agreed to meet the prostitute affiliated with the ad the following afternoon at a Tarrytown hotel.
Officers stationed at the hotel observed Gomez drop off the victim after she arrived in her black Infiniti SUV, according to the complaint.
Gomez was arrested after speaking briefly with the victim via Google Translate.
Kenney stated that the FBI is looking into whether there are any other sex traffickers connected to the operation.
