Sex trafficking operation in Westchester might have hundreds of victims, FBI says

A woman has been accused of sex trafficking in Westchester County and the Bronx in an operation that the FBI believes may have victimized hundreds of women.

Ysenni Gomez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was arrested on Aug. 12 in Greenburgh after allegedly bringing a victim to a hotel there for prostitution. Gomez has been accused of forcing the woman, who is from Venezuela, into prostitution by threatening to have her deported.

The FBI said Gomez lured the woman into her scheme by posting a phony advertisement about an opening for a waitress job at a Manhattan restaurant.

The investigation revealed that Gomez's cellphone was linked to more than 1,600 advertisements on Facebook.com, Bedpage.com and MegaPersonals.com promoting prostitution between December 2012 and August 2022, court records show.

The FBI urged anyone with information about Gomez, or who may have been a victim, to call them at 1-800-225-5324. Gomez is also known by the aliases Carolina and Ysenni Peguero, and may have used the business name Chicas Express, the FBI said.

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Gomez's operation was discovered after the FBI Westchester Safe Streets Task Force answered an advertisement under the escort section of Bedpage.com on Aug. 11, according to court records.

The post advertised "yonkers kitty cat available to tease outcall-23" with a photo of a nearly naked woman. An undercover officer with the task force responded to it and was told to meet the next day at a hotel in Greenburgh, near Tarrytown.

Around 12:45 p.m. on Aug. 12 Gomez drove up to the hotel in a black Infiniti SUV, and the victim from Venezuela got out, the FBI said. Gomez allegedly pointed out the undercover officer to the victim and told her that was her next customer.

The undercover officer and victim went into a hotel room, where they were joined by other law enforcement officers. The victim explained the situation and Gomez was brought to the Greenburgh police station and arrested.

The victim told the FBI that she had been in the United States for about eight months and was seeking legal asylum. In June, she said, she answered an advertisement on Facebook for a restaurant on Broadway in Manhattan that was seeking a female waitress.

Later that month she interviewed at the restaurant with Gomez, then returned there a week later to begin work, court records show. When the victim arrived, though, Gomez allegedly told her she would be working at a different restaurant and told her to get into a car.

Once the two of them were in the car, Gomez told the victim she would not be working at a restaurant, and that instead she must have sex with people for money, court records show. Gomez is accused of telling the victim that if she did not comply, Gomez would tell "immigration" and have her deported.

The victim refused, and Gomez dropped her off at Grand Central Terminal, where she left, according to court records. Gomez and another woman allegedly called the victim in July and again threatened her with deportation if she did not comply with their scheme, but the victim again refused.

A few days later Gomez and the other woman, who was not identified in court records, met the victim at Grand Central Terminal to threaten her again, and that time the victim "succumbed to the repeated threats," the FBI said.

For about three weeks the victim was made to work about three nights per week, visiting with about three clients per night to perform sexual acts, the FBI said.

Regular clients paid about $200 per visit, while VIP clients paid between $500 and $700 per visit, according to court records. Gomez allowed the victim the keep half of the price for regular clients, and about $200 for the VIP visits, the FBI said.

Gomez has been charged with sex trafficking and use of interstate facility to promote unlawful activity. She appeared in White Plains federal court on Aug. 12. She is due back on Sept. 7.

Magistrate Judge Paul Davison denied her bail request because she is a flight risk. Her attorney, Elizabeth Quinn, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Matt Spillane covers breaking news throughout the Hudson Valley. Click here for his latest stories. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpillane. Check out our latest subscription offers here.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Ysenni Gomez charged in sex trafficking operation in Westchester, NYC