Mexican Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of Minors
By Jim Kouri CPP (11/04/08)
Jorge Flores-Rojas, 44, an "undocumented Mexican national," pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Charlotte, N.C., to two counts of sex trafficking of minor females and one count of transporting an adult female for the purpose of commercial sex, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
According documents presented in court -- and obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police -- Flores-Rojas admitted that in November 2007 he transported a minor female and an adult female from Charlotte to Washington, D.C., for the purpose of causing them to engage in commercial sex acts in the Washington area.
During or around the same time period, Flores-Rojas also admitted he transported another female minor from Washington to Charlotte, and other places, for the purpose of causing that minor to engage in commercial sex acts. According to the superseding indictment, Flores-Rojas's victims were undocumented nationals from Mexico and Honduras.
At sentencing, Flores-Rojas will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, lifetime supervision following his release from prison and up to $250,000 in fines for each of the three counts of conviction. A sentencing date has not been set by the court.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Smith and Cortney Escaravage, as well as Trial Attorney Elizabeth Yusi of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
Assistance is being provided by Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Kayla Bakshi of the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Special Litigation Counsel Hilary Axam. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
(Printer friendly version) Email: Jim Kouri CPP
