Three people who allegedly led a human trafficking operation in Miami-Dade that involved neighborhood brothels and money laundering and spanned from Colombia to Florida and other parts of the United States have been arrested, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Alleged ringleader Elibeth Tovar, 41; Omar Jaimes, 43; and Yasid Paul Ortiz, 52, are all facing charges related to corruption, money laundering and prostitution under the RICO act. Tovar faces an additional charge of human trafficking.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle broke down the operation at a news conference on Wednesday, saying it mainly targeted the city of Miami Gardens. There, the defendants allegedly established neighborhood brothels, exploited victims by making them have sex for money, and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits gained through digital prostitution. The money was then sent back to Colombia.
According to information from court on Wednesday, Jaimes allegedly served as the security at the brothels and was seen by undercover agents driving Tovar to make deposits and transactions at Western Union. Ortiz, Tovar's husband, owned an elevator business that was allegedly used to conceal the profits made through the brothels. All three suspects allegedly also drove the sex workers around between different brothels.
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Authorities began investigating the operation two years ago based on intelligence information from the Formula 1 race in Miami Gardens. After placing an "ad," an undercover officer met with two women, who allegedly negotiated prices for sexual activity, prosecutors said.
Fernandez Rundle highlighted the story of one of the alleged victims, who said she prostituted herself for Tovar and the organization seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with no days off.
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Tovar met the victim at a casino and allegedly convinced her to move from New York to Miami for a better life and a job at Tovar's husband's elevator company, Fernandez Rundle said. The victim, who was in the country illegally, said she couldn't find a job and needed to provide for her son.
When she moved down to South Florida, Tovar allegedly put her to work in a warehouse brothel, Fernandez Rundle said. Tovar even allegedly found childcare for the victim's son so the victim could continuously work.
Ortiz's elevator company, SS Elevator Design, is a prominent business contracted by the county and has open contracts with TSA and the airport, his attorney said. Fernandez Rundle said she was surprised to learn of the possible connections.
The attorney representing the company and Ortiz deny all the allegations. All three were granted a bond but must prove they got the money from a legitimate source before getting out.
