Teen Pimps Busted For Prostitution Ring

(AP)  Several teenage gang members have been arrested on suspicion of forcing girls as young as 12 into a prostitution ring, police said Tuesday.

After befriending the girls and getting them high, Varrio Central gang members took them to some regular customers and then sought other men by trolling apartment complexes, offering the girls' services for $50, Fort Worth police Lt. Ken Dean said.

The gang apparently targeted runaways and other girls with unstable homes, and if the girls refused to have sex for money the members beat and sexually assaulted them and threatened their families, Dean said.

"The age of the victims and suspects is the surprising part of it," Dean said. "To have such young individuals in a somewhat organized business, a forced prostitution ring, is somewhat alarming and such a horrendous crime against the 12- to 16-year-old girls."

Detectives found five victims, ages 12 to 16, but believe there may be more. Those girls are back with relatives or in other safe places, he said, declining to elaborate.

A 15-year-old girl who may be a gang member helped the group by going to the victims' houses to pick them up under the pretense of going shopping or to a movie, which fooled the parents, said Lt. Dan Draper.

Four alleged gang members were arrested Jan. 3 after they took a 14-year-old to a convenience store to have sex with the owner, a regular customer of the prostitution ring, police said.

Diego Rodriguez, 19, and Martin Reyes, 17, were charged with counts including engaging in organized criminal activity, aggravated kidnapping and trafficking of a person. Rodriguez, held on $170,000 bond, did not have an attorney, and a lawyer for Reyes, held on $150,000 bond, could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

The cases of two boys, ages 15 and 16, and the 15-year-old girl accused of helping the gang are being handled in the juvenile system. Police expect more arrests as the investigation continues, Dean said.

The convenience store owner, Chang Hyeong Lee, 56, was charged with aggravated kidnapping, engaging in organized criminal activity and prostitution. He remained jailed Tuesday with bail set at $300,000. His attorney could not immediately be reached.

Police discovered the prostitution ring after a woman was caught in August in a neighborhood allegedly offering men sex for $50 with a 14-year-old girl. Police have declined to reveal the relationship between Debra Flores Castillo, 33, who was charged with compelling prostitution, and the teen gang members.

She was released on a $20,000 bond. Her attorney, Mark Scott, declined to comment.

Jorge Martinez, accused of paying for sex with the teen in August, remained jailed on $10,000 bond Tuesday on a sexual assault of a child charge. His attorney did not immediately return a call.

[klingon69]

From the names and activities I am inclined to think these are more ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS here to steal, cheat, corrupt and victimize American Citizens. These people MUST be dealt with. ALL these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS need to be EXECUTED. Those who support these LOWLIFE ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS should be HEAVILY FINED, prosecuted for TREASON, IMPRISONED and EXECUTED, along with these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS.
We, the CITIZENS of America, DO NOT WANT these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS in OUR country.
Posted by bhappy2-2 at 06:13 PM : Jan 16, 2008
While I do agree with the problem about the illegals, I do not codone vigilante justice or summary executions of persons whether citizen or not. Yes, they should be deported to their country of origin, and those who aid, abet, employ...etc should be heavily fined and possible prison time.
However, I doubt if any of these "children" are illegal. They may be the children of illegals (anchor babies) or could be the children of Americna citizens. It is difficult to properly raise a child in single parent homes or even in two parent homes if both parent shave to work to make ends meet.

[keithle1]

When these 12 to 16-year-old girls ran away from their home/parents, what did they think they would end up doing to survive?

[bhappy2-2]

From the names and activities I am inclined to think these are more ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS here to steal, cheat, corrupt and victimize American Citizens. These people MUST be dealt with. ALL these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS need to be EXECUTED. Those who support these LOWLIFE ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS should be HEAVILY FINED, prosecuted for TREASON, IMPRISONED and EXECUTED, along with these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS.
We, the CITIZENS of America, DO NOT WANT these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS in OUR country.

[Krazcarl]

To me it looks like a few young ladies wanted to gangbangers and were willing to do a stiff initation. Had a friend once that grew up in the bronx and in the gangs he said in the city you had a choice be a victum or a victumizer claimed you needed the protection a gang offered in the low rent side of the city. I played sports grew up in rural Me. the only colors I ever saw were an occasional biker they never caused any problem I knew off.

[rohink-2009]

Culturechang

They are charged with kidnapping, s*xually assaulting, and threatening the family of these girls in order to make money. If they forced them to wash cars or do laundry that wouldn''t be employment either. Do you understand the concept of employment?

[stevex47]

Shirks just another right wing nut job with some sexual deviant problem like Foley and Craig.

Get help.

[culturechang]

I dont condone what the boys did, but I wonder if authorities would have cared if these guys had forced the girls to wash cars and clean laundry for money. Would that also have been called trafficking or would it be called employment? The govt seems to think because its ***, it must be trafficking. Its rarely that simple. Only about 1% of prostitution cases involve trafficking....and this one does.

[shirk3-2009]

I don''t want to hear anything about illegal immagration here, got that? Illegals are good, decent, hardworking people and shouldn''t ever be deported after having had their testicles cut off! Right? Good.

[Krazcarl]

What a sad story the boys creative but deviante if they had put there energy into legal behavior they may have made some serious cash. Now they will be nothing but fresh meat at the local prison. Is the goverment unwilling or unable to do anything about gangs in the last 15 years is started to get really nasty.