A Maryland man and a man from Miami have been charged for their alleged roles in running a nationwide prostitution ring that took advantage of immigrant women and sent them to Tysons Corner for their first meetings with customers, a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday said.
The ring, with trysts set up through the Web site MiamiUltimate.com, was allegedly run by Rafael Bernabe-Caballero, of Miami. He would enlist immigrant women into his escort service, only to tell them moments before their first meeting that they were expected to be prostitutes, the indictment filed in a Michigan federal court said. After their first trysts in Tysons Corner, the women were flown around the country on Miami Ultimate’s tab, often landing in Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis and Cleveland.
One of the ring’s clients was allegedly Michael Porru, who would drive from his home in Boyds to Tysons Corner for trysts set up through Miami Ultimate, the indictment said. Between June 2007 and October 2008, Porru became increasingly involved with Miami Ultimate, going from customer, to reviewing trysts on the Web site, to planning a joint prostitution ring in the Washington area with Bernabe-Caballero.
The Miami Ultimate Web site isn’t explicit about sexual activity between the “escorts” and “clients.” A disclaimer on the Web site says payment is for modeling and companionship. Anything else that could happen “between two or more consenting adults of legal age is not contracted for.”
According to the indictment, Bernabe-Caballero’s recruiting pitch also excluded the expectation of sex. Upon signing up as “escorts” with Bernabe-Caballero, the women had to provide details on their immigration status and their families.
When the women arrived at Tyson Corner hotels for their first “job,” Bernabe-Caballero would call them to say their client was on the way. “It was typically at this point that some of the women would learn for the first time… that they were required to perform sexual acts with the clients,” the indictment said.
If the women refused, Bernabe-Caballero would threaten to hurt or kill the women and their families, report the women to immigration officials, or tell the women he would have them arrested for prostitution, the indictment said.
Both men are expected to be tried in Michigan, where prosecutors have evidence of cash being sent by wire, a source close to the investigation said.
