NEW YORK — The leader of a Mexican sex trafficking organization was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison on July 10 for trafficking multiple victims across the United States using violence, coercion, and fraud, federal officials announced.
Hugo Hernandez-Velazquez, 48, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to one count of sex trafficking. He was extradited from Mexico in 2021 and will be deported upon completion of his sentence.
From 2001 to 2009, Hernandez-Velazquez and his siblings operated a trafficking network that lured young women from Mexico into the U.S. under false promises of love and a better life. Once in the country, victims were forced into prostitution and subjected to physical abuse, forced abortions, and threats against themselves and their families. The organization was based in Queens, New York, and trafficked women in multiple states, including Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
His co-defendants, Ernesto and Giovanni Hernandez-Velazquez, were previously sentenced to 210 months each, while Arcelia Hernandez-Velazquez received time served after five years in custody.
“This sentencing is no doubt a direct result of the bravery of each survivor who courageously spoke up,” said HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.
