Brothel Manager Pleads Guilty: Balderas-Orosco

A Mexican citizen pleaded guilty Friday to smuggling women into the U.S. to work as prostitutes at brothels in 13 cities in Texas and across the nation, including New York City, Las Vegas and Atlanta, according to documents filed with his plea on Friday.^[1]

Juan Balderas-Orosco, managed an Austin brothel as part of a national prostitution ring that catered to illegal immigrants who paid $40 each to have sex with the women.^[2] The ringleaders sneaked hundreds of women into the United States, most of them from Latin American countries, and forced them to have sex with as many as 40 men a day, according to the court documents.^[3] They moved the women from brothel to brothel and kept the earnings.^[4]

Balderas-Orosco pleaded guilty to federal charges of transportation for prostitution, importation of illegal aliens, and conspiracy to smuggle, transport and harbor illegal aliens.^[5] He is also charged with, among other things, coercion or enticement for prostitution, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.^[6]

The crime of importation of an alien for an immoral purpose can be committed in three ways with respect to aliens: (1) importing aliens for prostitution, (2) holding aliens for prostitution, and (3) keeping, maintaining, controlling, supporting, employing, or harboring aliens for prostitution.^[7] Each one of the three is a separate crime.^[8]

The crime of bringing in and harboring aliens (conspiracy) is committed when a defendant, knowing that a person is an alien, brings or attempts to bring that person “to the United States in any manner whatsoever such person at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other than as designated by the Commissioner, regardless of whether such alien has received prior official authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States and regardless of any future official action which may be taken with respect to such alien” by engaging in “any conspiracy to commit any of the preceding acts.”^[9]

Coercion or enticement for prostitution is committed whenever a defendant attempts to, or knowingly persuades, induces, entices, or coerces any individual to travel in interstate or foreign commerce, to engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.^[10]

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^[1] Man who led immigrant brothel ring pleads guilty, AP (via Dallas Morning News), February 10, 2007.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Michael Grabell, Man admits prostitution smuggling, Dallas Morning News (via WFAA.com), February 11, 2007.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] 8 U.S.C. § 1328 (2006); see also Dalton v. Hunter, 174 F.2d 633 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 338 U.S. 906 (1949).
^[8] Id.
^[9] 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(i), (v)(I) (2006).
^[10] 18 U.S.C. § 2422(a) (2006).