PATCHOGUE, N.Y., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Three people have been charged with allegedly forcing dozens of young illegal aliens into prostitution at seedy Long Island, N.Y., taverns, authorities said.
Antonio Rivera, 34, of Patchogue, N.Y., his sister Jasmin Rivera, 31, of Medford, N.Y., and John Whaley, 29, of Bellport, N.Y., were charged Monday in U.S. District Court with forced labor and sex trafficking, The New York Daily News reported Tuesday. The three were ordered held without bail.
"They lured innocent young women with promises of legitimate jobs and the American Dream," John Morton, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, said. "Once the victims arrived, their dreams turned to nightmares."
The Riveras and Whaley allegedly recruited women from Central American countries to work as waitresses in their bars in Farmingville and Ronkonkoma, which now have been closed. Once they started work, the women allegedly were told to perform sex acts on customers. The women were beaten or raped if they refused, Morton said.
