A 43-year-old man from Rockville known as “The Colombian” has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for bringing at least 100 women from New York and New Jersey to brothels he and others operated in Prince George’s County, federal prosecutors said.
Eduardo Puentes was convicted by a jury of violating the Mann Act in March following a 1 1/2-week trial. Prosecutors said Puentes and his co-conspirators brought a new batch of prostitutes from New York and New Jersey to at least five brothels, the majority of which operated in Langley Park apartments.
At least a week before Puentes made his journey north, he would call the women by cell phone and arrange a meeting place, authorities said. He would pick up the women Monday morning and drive them down to Maryland, where they would stay for a week at a time. On Sundays he and others drove the women back to New Jersey and New York.
Puentes, prosecutors said, was a top member of the scheme. He helped in buying, registering and insuring the vans used to transport the prostitutes. He and a co-conspirator rented the apartments used for brothels. Puentes was also tasked with collecting money from the brothels’ doormen. He then distributed the proceeds to other members of the conspiracy.
The conspirators provided the prostitutes with food and supplies, such as condoms, for a set weekly fee, authorities said. They also provided security for the brothels. Each house of prostitution had a doormen who both collected cash from customers and stood guard. This task was sometimes performed by Puentes and other members of the conspiracy.
Aida Pereira, 36, of Silver Spring, and two Hyattsville residents, 35-year-old Iris Martinez-Solarzano and 46-year-old Jose Hugo Chacon Roque, have all pleaded guilty to violating the Mann Act. They each were sentenced to between 18 and 32 months in prison.
