José Rafael D’Asís Burgos, coordinating judge of the Santiago province’s Instruction Courts, has imposed 12 months of pre-trial detention on two men accused of leading an alleged network that sexually exploited Colombian and Venezuelan women, Diario Libre reports.
Junior David Matos Monegro, known as “Junior,” and Estarly Almánzar Pérez were sent to serve the coercive measure at the Rafey Correction and Rehabilitation Center.
According to the accusation, the Public Ministry rescued 43 Colombian women and two Venezuelan women through Operation Flor de Loto. The women were allegedly victims of commercial sexual exploitation and related crimes. The women depended on the traffickers to move from one place to another.
The indictment indicates that the defendants had control of the identity documents of some of these victims and, in addition, had control of the payment made by their clients, with whom they coordinated the catalog of sexual services and the prices to be paid through the WhatsApp messaging platform.
The document states that the defendants traveled to Colombia to select and recruit their victims, paying for their immigration and housing processes, thus binding the victims to this debt. The victims were forced to engage in sexual work under conditions set by the defendants in order to pay off the debt.
The investigating body presented preliminary charges against the defendants for violation of articles 1 (paragraphs A and H), 3, and 7 (paragraphs B and C) of Law 137-03, on Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons; articles 265, 266, 333, 334, 334-1 of the Dominican Penal Code, which typify criminal association and pimping; to the detriment of the victims and the Dominican State.
In addition, Matos Monegro is charged with violating article 66 of Law 631-16 on the Control and Regulation of Firearms, Ammunition, and Related Materials.
After the hearing, which lasted more than three hours, Elvin Domínguez, legal representative of one of the defendants, described the Public Ministry’s accusation as a “monstrosity.” According to him, none of the foreign women have filed a complaint against his clients. He insists that each of the women presented as victims traveled to the country to voluntarily practice prostitution.
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Noticias SIN
Diario Libre
18 July 2024