SAN ANTONIO, Texas – An undocumented Cuban national pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to labor trafficking charges after helping smuggle three Cuban women into the United States and forcing them to work in strip clubs nationwide.
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U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced the plea.
The backstory:
Yoirlan Tome-Rojas, 46, admitted to helping bring three adult women from Cuba to the U.S. by financing their flights, drivers, hotels, and the human smugglers, or “coyotes,” who brought them across the U.S.-Mexico border, according to court documents.
Federal prosecutors said Tome-Rojas charged each woman with a “travel debt” of up to $50,000 and forced them to work in strip clubs seven days a week. Over the course of several months, Tome-Rojas took the women to work in various clubs across San Antonio, Indiana, and Detroit, Michigan.
Tome-Rojas mandated that the women hand over all of their earnings and barred them from leaving or stopping their work until their debts were fully settled. He continually inflated those balances by adding the costs of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to their totals.
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Two of the victims remained with Tome-Rojas for about three months, during which time he claimed they had only paid roughly $1,000 toward their debt. Prosecutors noted that throughout their ordeal, the women feared for their own personal safety as well as the safety of their families back in Cuba.
Tome-Rojas pleaded guilty to three counts of labor trafficking. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the San Antonio Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia McNab and Karina O’Daniel are prosecuting the case.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at repelling illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.