BROWARD COUNTY, FL – The Broward Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Unit, in conjunction with detectives from the Hollywood Police Department, arrested a Miami woman on Thursday for operating four massage parlors in Broward County as fronts for prostitution.
Investigators arrested Maricela Ramirez at her Miami residence on charges of deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, money laundering and the use of a two-way device to facilitate a felony. The investigation revealed that Ramirez utilized females in her massage parlors to solicit sex for money. BSO’s human trafficking detectives and special agents with Homeland Security Investigations are also investigating the case.
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Human trafficking is the act of forcing or coercing men, women and/or children into labor that results in involuntary servitude, exploitation, debt bondage or slavery.
If you suspect human trafficking in your community, BSO encourages you to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733 or call the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764-4357 (HELP).To learn more about what human trafficking is, please visit the National Human Trafficking Hotline page at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/.