Maryland Man Sentenced To 188 Months For Luring 15-Year-Old Girl Into Prostitution

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Julio Cesar Revolorio Ramos, 29, of Adelphi, Md., was sentenced today to 188 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for sex trafficking a 15-year-old runaway as part of a multi-state conspiracy that prostituted hundreds of women and girls since at least 2008. Revolorio Ramos paid a portion of his profits to MS-13 gang members who extorted “rent” under threats of violence to Ramos and other co-conspirators involved in prostitution in northern Virginia.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli, II; and John P. Torres, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

Revolorio Ramos pled guilty on Nov. 7, 2012, to sex trafficking a child. A native of Guatemala illegally present in the U.S., Revolorio Ramos will be transferred to the custody of U.S. immigration authorities for removal proceedings following his prison term.

            “Revolorio Ramos exploited a vulnerable 15-year-old girl and then discarded her when she was no longer needed,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “He was one member of a multi-state conspiracy that prostituted hundreds of women and girls for profit. Today’s sentence assures victims that once sex traffickers are caught in the Eastern District of Virginia, justice is served.”

            “Today’s sentencing sends a message to child sex traffickers that their heinous criminal behavior will not be tolerated,” said HSI SAC Torres.  “HSI DC will continue to aggressively investigate those involved in child sex trafficking and is committed to protecting the vulnerable victims of this outrageous crime.” 

“Revolorio Ramos’s crimes exploited a young girl for sex and robbed her of her innocence. He also prostituted hundreds of women and girls over the last several years,” said Virginia Attorney General Cuccinelli. “Today’s sentence speaks loud and clear that the despicable crime of sex trafficking will be punished to the full extent of the law.”

            According to court records, Revolorio Ramos was part of a conspiracy that prostituted Hispanic women and girls in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. He advertised the prostitution business by handing out business cards purporting to be for plumbing, landscaping or snow removal business, but which contained a telephone number a customer could call to obtain sexual services from a prostitute. Revolorio Ramos and others would hand out these cards to those congregating at sites for day laborers, restaurants, and check cashing stores in Virginia.

            In January 2009, Revolorio Ramos encouraged a 15-year-old runaway to work as a prostitute. On the first day that Revolorio Ramos prostituted the girl, she had sexual relations with 17 customers, and on the third day she had sexual relations with 25 customers. Revolorio Ramos knew that she was less than 18 years old, describing her as “young” to potential customers on the phone. Several customers repeatedly requested her specifically because of her young age.

            Revolorio Ramos typically prostituted a woman or girl for a six-day period. To ensure that customers had new women for sex, at the end of the six-day period, he would prostitute a different woman or girl than the one he had prostituted the week before. From June 2010 through December 2010, during weeks that Revolorio Ramos was prostituting other women and not prostituting the 15-year-old girl, his co-conspirators prostituted her in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

             After receiving a portion of the proceeds from the women providing sexual services to his customers, Revolorio Ramos paid “rent” to MS-13 gang members under threats of violence, and he also sent some proceeds to co-conspirators living in Mexico.

This case was investigated by ICE HSI, with assistance from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force. Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marc J. Birnbaum and Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Frank are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Founded in 2004, the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies – along with nongovernmental organizations – dedicated to combating human trafficking and related crimes.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.