Leader of International Sex Trafficking Ring Sentenced to Life in Prison

SAVANNAH, GA—Joaquin Mendez-Hernandez, also known as “El Flaco,” 35, formerly of Mexico, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge B. Avant Edenfield to life in prison for his role in a sex trafficking conspiracy that exploited dozens of women. The investigation into this conspiracy, dubbed Operation Dark Night, has resulted in the conviction of 23 defendants and the rescue of 12 victims.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “It is reprehensible that an international sex trafficking organization set up shop within our very own communities. This organization destroyed the lives of many victims through fear, violence, and intimidation, all for the love of money. Those responsible will now pay the price in a federal prison.”
“While it is extremely satisfying to see these defendants held accountable for their atrocious crimes, the clear victory in this case was the rescue of their victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Brock D. Nicholson, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and the Carolinas. “From the testimony they provided in court, these women have begun to rebuild their lives, and I applaud their bravery and courage in confronting their abusers and rejecting the roles they were forced into.”
According to evidence presented during numerous guilty plea and sentencing hearings, local and federal law enforcement agencies identified and dismantled an international sex trafficking enterprise that spread from Mexico to Savannah, Georgia. Members of the organization enticed women from Mexico, Nicaragua, and elsewhere to travel to the United States with false promises of the American Dream. Once inside the United States, the women were threatened and forced to commit acts of prostitution at numerous locations in Savannah and throughout the southeast. Women were forced to engage in sexual activity with as many as 50 people a day. To make sure the women complied, members of the organization threatened the women, used violence against them, and held children hostage in Mexico. Members of the organization would also trade their victims to other members who operated in other states, such as Florida and North and South Carolina.
Each of the 23 defendants arrested in Operation Dark Night have pled guilty and been sentenced. Two additional defendants, Eugenio Prieto-Hernandez and Daniel Ribon-Gonzalez, remain fugitives. A listing of the defendants and their sentences or fugitive status is below.
Operation Dark Night represents the largest sex trafficking investigation ever prosecuted in the Southern District of Georgia. The operation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from FBI, ATF, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), CBP Air and Marine Operations, IRS-Criminal Investigations, Coast Guard Investigative Services, Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Garden City Police Department, and Chatham County Counter Narcotics Team.
Twelve victims were rescued as a part of Operation Dark Night. HSI provides relief to victims of human trafficking by allowing for their continued presence in the United States during criminal proceedings. Victims may also qualify for a T visa, which is issued to victims of human trafficking who have complied with reasonable requests for assistance in investigations and prosecutions. Anyone who suspects instances of human trafficking is encouraged to call the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Anonymous calls are welcome.
Assistant United States Attorneys Tania Groover and Greg Gilluly prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547 or james.durham@usdoj.gov.
Operation Dark Night Defendants

• Eugenio Prieto-Hernandez: Fugitive
• Joaquin Mendez-Hernandez (a/k/a “El Flaco”): Life in prison
• Juan Carlos Pena: 240 months in prison
• Luisa Capilla-Lancho: 60 months in prison
• Jorge Lira-Xochicale: 66 months in prison
• Mayer Sanchez-Calderon: 180 months in prison
• Claudio Sanchez-Calderon: 180 months in prison
• Omar Peralta-Rodriquez: 37 months in prison
• Neurby Celenia Diaz: 72 months in prison
• Antonio Ubaldo Mendez-Lopez: 46 months in prison
• Cesar Aguilar-Rebollar: 21 months in prison
• Sylvia Barrera: 27 months in prison
• David Reyes: 18 months in prison
• Antonio Ramirez-Catalan: 48 months in prison
• Jose Ricardo Vazquez-Garcia: 36 months in prison
• Daniel Ribon-Gonzalez: Fugitive
• Marisol Ferreriras: 13 months in prison
• Paresh Patel: Seven months in prison
• Sergio Valazquez Martinez: 12 months in prison
• Fernando Pelayo Silverio: 18 months in prison
• Arturo Salquil-Gomez: 12 months in prison
• Jose Hernandez Trujillo: 25 months in prison
• Silvstre Aguilar Sayago: 27 months in prison
• Rodolfo Hernandez Guiterrez: 23 months in prison
• Alex Martinez Moncon: 22 months in prison

International Arms Smuggler Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison

WASHINGTON—Siarhei Baltutski, aka Sergey Boltutskiy, 41, of Minsk, Belarus, was sentenced today to serve 180 months in prison for conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General John Carlin of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania made the announcement.
Baltutski pleaded guilty on January 25, 2013. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ordered Baltutski to serve three years of supervised release.
Between January 1, 2008 and September 21, 2011, Baltutski organized a network of buyers in the United States to obtain and illegally export to Belarus high-tech military hardware such as Scorpion Thermal Weapon Sights, ThOR 2 Thermal Imaging Scopes, Thermal-Eye Renegade 320s, and other night vision targeting devices. During the course of the conspiracy, Baltutski and his associates illegally exported hundreds of these items. Baltutski then arranged for hundreds of thousands of dollars to be secretly wired, via offshore shell companies, to purchase these items, to pay for shipping, and to pay his network of buyers.
The Arms Export Control Act and the International Emergency Economic Power Act prohibit the export of high-tech military technology. Keeping this technology out of the hands of current and potential adversaries is critical to national interest and the safety and success of U.S. service members in combat.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jerome Maiatico of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Livermore of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with assistance from Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterespionage Section.

Hungarian Woman Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Her Role in International Internet-Based Fraud Scheme

WASHINGTON—Beata Edina Wagnerne Abonyi, 55, of Budapest, Hungary, has been sentenced to a year in prison on a federal charge stemming from her participation in an international Internet-based fraud scheme that obtained more than $350,000 from people who thought they were buying cars, trucks, and motor homes.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr.; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Niall Meehan, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
Abonyi pled guilty on August 28, 2013, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud and false use of a passport. She was sentenced on November 19, 2013, by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. The judge also ordered Abonyi to pay $355,107 in restitution and ordered her to forfeit $1,245 and a $395,485 money judgment, which represents the proceeds she obtained through the scheme. Upon completion of her prison term, Abonyi will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to a statement of offense signed by the defendant, Abonyi and others conspired to carry out the scheme from on or about late February 2013 through the beginning of May 2013. Members of the conspiracy falsely advertised and purported to sell motor vehicles, trucks, and motor homes on websites, targeting buyers located mainly in the United States. With assistance from her co-conspirators, Abonyi used false passports and false driver’s licenses to open bank accounts at four different financial institutions in Virginia. During the course of the scheme, Abonyi came to understand that buyers were being induced to wire money and funds into these accounts for the intended purpose of purchasing the vehicles. She fraudulently withdrew funds from the accounts before the buyers, financial institutions, and law enforcement detected the scheme. Abonyi then wired the falsely obtained funds to co-conspirators here in the United States and overseas. Abonyi admitted that the bank accounts she fraudulently opened received over $350,000 from victims.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director in Charge Parlave, and Special Agent in Charge Meehan praised those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. They also commended the efforts of Paralegal Specialists Lenisse Edloe, Tasha Harris, and C. Rosalind Pressley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael K. Atkinson and Diane Lucas, who prosecuted the case.