Charges filed against 8 in child sex trafficking case

“The allegations, in this case, are difficult to digest because of the calculated and deviant sexual exploitation of the two victims. Our office will continue the investigation to determine if there are other victims of this human sex trafficking organization. We encourage anyone with further information to contact our office. These defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said in a statement.

Weeks after going missing in early May, 2020, a 14-year-old girl sent a message via Facebook messenger to her mother saying, "I don't want to be here anymore," on May 28th.

Two days later, in the early hours of May 30th, law enforcement recovered the girl from a Wawa parking lot on Lancaster Avenue in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

She told police that she had been raped by between 4 and 5 men while being held against her will in three different locations, and that those holding her had said she and her mother would be killed if she did not comply with their demands.

She explained that she had been recruited by an individual she knew as "Tiny," allegedly a 17-year-old girl from Camden, New Jersey.  Through Snapchat, "Tiny" asked the girl if she wanted to make money.  "Tiny" then picked her up in Maryland and transported her to Malvern, Pennsylvania where the girl was forced to perform a sex act on one of the accused traffickers as a means of "breaking" and "testing" her, and then photographed for advertisement.

Another victim has been identified as an 18-year-old that was held against her will and sexually assaulted by one of the accused traffickers.  She reported that she had also been threatened with bodily harm should she attempt to leave after also being recruited through Snapchat. She was held for approximately three weeks between February and March before making an escape.

According to WPVI, the 14-year-old was initially apprehensive about coming forward to law enforcement because of her status as an immigrant from South America.  This leads investigators to believe there are likely other victims out there that they are not aware of at this time.

Three of the eight men arrested are charged with with running a corrupt organization that engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity, including trafficking minors, involuntary servitude, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, rape, involuntary deviated sexual intercourse, promoting prostitution and other related offenses.  They are being held for cash bail at Chester County Prison and are scheduled for an initial hearing before Magisterial District Judge John Bailey today.

The remaining five individuals arrested are accused of paying for sex with either the minor or the 18-year-old victim. They are: Diana Ordonez, age 25; Luis Cabrera Peralta, age 29; Nestor Ruiz, age 45; Juan Humberto Ortiz Ortiz, age 35; and Carlos Villatoro Gallegos, age 23.

“We are very grateful for the persistence and dedication of the East Whiteland Township Police Department, Chester County Detectives and Homeland Security Investigations,” D.A. Ryan said. “Through their hard work and tireless efforts we were able to dismantle this criminal organization that preyed on women and children for their own financial gain. They helped rescue a child and prevent further predatory behavior.”

Any person with information regarding this investigation should contact Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866.