Antonio Mendez-Lopez
NAPLES — Federal investigators released a new indictment Friday in a multi-state sex trafficking ring, formally charging a Collier County man and doubling the number of accused conspirators.
Twenty-five people are now implicated in the organized crime ring dismantled last month in a dragnet from Florida to North Carolina dubbed "Operation Dark Night."
That includes Antonio Mendez-Lopez, 45, whom special agents arrested outside his Golden Gate home in January as part of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation.
Mendez-Lopez is accused of participating in a Savannah, Ga.-based organization that brought undocumented women from abroad into the U.S. for prostitution, according to court documents.
New information released by investigators Friday revealed an even darker side to the investigation: members of the organization held several victims' children hostage in Mexico to force the women into prostitution.
"The superseding indictment adds even more gruesome details to the allegations of an already reprehensible human trafficking ring operating within our very own communities. The U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners will not stop until all of those responsible are brought to justice," U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver of Georgia said in a written statement.
A U.S. District Court judge in Fort Myers determined last month there was probable cause to move Mendez-Lopez's case in Georgia forward after the Guatemala native was taken into custody in Southwest Florida during the first round of arrests.
Friday's indictment formalizes the two charges against him related to transporting a woman for prostitution, which carry a maximum 15-year sentence.
It wasn't immediately clear if any of the accused conspirators newly named in Friday's updated indictment have Southwest Florida ties.
Other alleged members of the crime ring face up to life in prison for their roles at the top of the organization, orchestrating a network of pimps who prostituted out at least 11 sex trafficking victims.
Some of the women were forced to have sex with dozens of johns a day, and were shuttled weekly between cities in the southeastern U.S.
Federal investigators stressed that the investigation is ongoing and the extent of the case could expand.
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Comments » 32
TSOL writes:
Great and now Obama wants to grant these people amnesty!!!!!!!!!!
FECOYLE writes:
A good number of these people are here illegally & bring their culture with them. They sure dont add to the quality of life in the USA
staghorn writes:
Thanks rick scott
naplesnewsreader writes:
I don't think the left cares about the quality of life. They care about new uninformed voters that Beyonce, Oprah and NBC put on a pedestal.
lemonjello writes:
Really? By the way, you capitalize the first letter of a person’s name. Duh.
Give this a try, English-Class Online! http://www.english-classonline.com
wentfishn writes:
Yup! I agree, good post, but sad for the future of this country.
lb5361 writes:
".....add to the quality of life in the USA" = OMG we white people are becoming the minority, all brown skin people are criminals an thugs. Nope. No bigoted or racial bias there. Nope.
Anonymous1 writes:
THESE are amongst the 11,000,000 KNOWN illegals in this country. Anyone not a part of the solution to this is part of the problem. I've bombarded DC with my opinions on their 'demand' for total amnesty (that includes rights to vote). What have YOU done??
by the way, prostitution is the least of what the bad possibilities are from opening the floodgates...think of how easily illegal Arabs could pass for illegal Latins
staghorn writes:
Really.
I only capitalize the name of those I respect.
Give this a try:
http://www.careerbuilder.com/
Get a job.
FloridaVoter writes:
It's amazing how every story in this turns into a chance to blame President Obama for something. BTW - the government caught these guys and is bringing them to justice ...
And here's a newsflash to all you ethno-phobes (that means people who are afraid of other ethic groups): This stuff goes on in America where people pimp out their own children for drugs or just for personal gain. You should talk to local law enforcement or see the craig's list ads for "fresh meat."
Don't you think these women would have rather been home in Mexico with their children than perform sex acts here in fear of having their children harmed?
My favorite was the "they all look alike" comment warning "US" that "THEY" look like Arabs ... pathetic. You mean the people we bomb with drones?
muleman1 writes:
Its funny how us white folks here dont realy fully bring out the true UNDERLYING facts!
If the Johns???? White, black ,Yellow or what ever skin color for that matter did not par-take??? There wouldn't be a "DEMAND"???????
LETS CLEAN OUR OWN CRAP FIRST BEFORE PUTTING BLAME ON OTHERS?
There is no difference with the "war" or challenges with this counry on issues dealing with Legal or Illegal narcotics????
Demand is reduced=The business willeventually fold?
manforpeace writes:
Hey folks,
If you believe what this headline says, you are STUPID. Collier TO nc.. The word TO is used a couple times here in this story.
If you believe these slaves or whatever you want to call them, are appearing here and transported elsewhere, YOU ARE STUPID.
NDN, SHAME ON YOU!
Who are you protecting?
lemonjello writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Chester writes:
I prefer to spell his name as dirty dick scott, the criminal, medicare fraudster in Tally who is going down in defeat in 2014! Defeat the Geek in 2014!
Chester writes:
It's called the "low information voter," and there are plenty of them. Anyone who thinks obumbles is doing a great job is dumb as a box of rocks. Yes, 16.4 trillion in debt, unemployment at 7.9%, gas prices rising to $4.00 a gallon, Benghazi, Fast-n-Furious, nightmare act, 1st quarter of fiscal year=negative growth in GDP, etc.. This is a good job??? Low information voter = dummy!
lemonjello writes:
I think Scott does a poor job. Sad thing is that Charlie "I am a member of the party that will elect me" Crist is the best the Liberal-tics have to offer.
anotherPOV writes:
Your "right"! We did not have prostitution until the Hispanics showed up.
Jeeeesus christopher, Republicans are id10ts.
lemonjello writes:
Another AMAZING post! Is it a slow day at Circle K?
naplesnewsreader writes:
They call themselves "low information voters" just so they don't feel like a bunch of dumb basses. No matter their name, they still don't know what the heck is going on. They will continue to vote based on who their favorite reality show stars or hollywood idol says to vote for.
LovesBS writes:
No one writes stories about the many many overwhelming number of good law abiding 'illegals' here ONLY because being caught in an economic squeeze in their homelands.
Having to live in quarters with many other 'day laborers', sending majority of earning home to support the family, having to live among low-life haters who post only negatives about minorities in the local rags...sad.
Maybe some of these haters should try what Mayor Booker (Newark, NJ) did and give it a try for a week. I'm sure they'd be singing a different, more understanding song!
AbeFrohman writes:
Reagan gave 'em amnesty and the current group of like minded, uneducated Republicans are going to get fooled again. I hope enough congressional Republicans realize we don't want these pimps "dream" realized.
audree_k writes:
I usually spell it with a capital P...
sageinbloom writes:
Just to add to your good post - The prostitution industry has flourished in the USA for over 200 years during an era when our Hispanic population was quite low. Guess who were the principal participants? You got it - white men and women. So it is just plain stupid to blame Hispanics for any prostitution activity while at the very moment you are shooting your mouth off about "foreigners" operating sex rings, we have US citizens running thousands of lucrative escort services. I do hope that you are not so dumb that you don't know what goes on in the "escort industry".
Magic81 writes:
self-righteous, stereotyping, obnoxious-----several more words apply to your over inflated assessment of your own opinions. But that is why your views are in the distinct minority of INFORMED voters--and will be for some time to come. And that is why the self-righteous, stereotyping.......etc will continue--can't come up with factual input. It just surprises me how the vey wealthy propertied interests dupe the lower income and low information voters into supporting them, kind of like they did with the freed slaves in the mid to late 19th century. Seems like just promise them a gun and lower taxes (while they pocket fortunes with THEIR lower taxes)---they do it also by promising `to get government out of their lives, while they get government out of regulating their monopolies and medical fraud in the Billions.
Just to show a different perspective to the usual "liberal" bashing--I wonder if you even have an awareness of a group called "The Center"
Magic81 writes:
Its even more amazing that people cannot see and understand the long range causes of some of the major problems we face today--shown no intelligence at all to simply discount anything from prior years--of course, these are the same people that try to put some blame on Clinton for failure to have better intelligence before the 9/11 attacks.
Proof of people suffering from Obamaphobia
http://www.sierrastar.com/2012/08/01/...
the cure is simple--try being open minded--don't put labels on ideas or people
Magic81 writes:
We just need more prisons and prison staffs---and less rights while IN those prisons---for patrons AND providers--and yes, deportations for any that are not yet citizens--illegal or legal immigrants.
Magic81 writes:
What is sad for this country is that neither of you understand the true meaning of the term "left" and think that anything you don't like is "left"---it is reasonable to say that your own "quality of life" might be better if the nation and the state were a little more "left"---
HAP writes:
WE HAVE A FRAUD IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHO IS NOT A U.S. CITIZEN, SO WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? NO ONE DOES ANYTHING TO PROTECT OUR BORDERS. IT'S A FREE FOR ALL. WHY DON'T REAL U.S. CITIZENS START USING THEIR VOICES AND CALL ICE, AND REPORT, AS MANY AS YOU CAN. DO NOTHING, NOTHING WILL CHANGE. THEY ARE DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY, BANKRUPTING OUR WORLD...and guess who is paying for this scum of the earth. YOU.
Liborio1 writes:
Bravo Maestro, remember The Italian Mafia, Al Capone, etc or do you need an Alphabetical list of Italian or Russian American Mobsters, living and deceased in the USA.
Aoxomoxoa writes:
TODAYS TIN FOIL HAT AWARD GOES TO.......
HAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CarpeVeritas writes:
Congratulations! Beside the coveted foil tricorn cap, you'll be receiving a year's subscription to "Militiamen's Quarterly," and the John Birch Society's pamphlet "How to Bring Down Black Helicopters Hovering Over Your Bunker With Laser-Guided Dead Squirrels."
It must be a banner day for your family. How many children do you and your sister have now? Six or seven?
Magic81 writes:
What is your last name-- LESS??
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