October 8, 2008
For more information contact:
Supervisory AUSA Karen Rhew
(850) 942-8430
HUMAN TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IMPRISONMENT
Tallahassee - Thomas F. Kirwin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today the sentence of CARLOS ANDRES MONSALVE, a/k/a Toty, a/k/a Toti, to twenty years imprisonment for human trafficking offenses. On May 27, 2008, Monsalve pled guilty in the United States District Court in Tallahassee to conspiracy to transport and harbor aliens for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain, to import female aliens into the United States for the purpose of prostitution, and to transport these individuals within the United States for purposes of prostitution. Monsalve also pled guilty to seven substantive counts of harboring illegal aliens, and transporting and importing illegal aliens for the purpose of prostitution.
The evidence submitted in support of Monsalve’s guilty plea established that Monsalve and others members of the conspiracy smuggled women from various countries in Central and South America into the United States and ultimately to Florida, for the purpose of prostitution. Once inside the county, Monsalve and others supplied the women as prostitutes to Hispanic males throughout the state of Florida. The women were obligated to work as prostitutes to pay off their smuggling fees. Monsalve typically charged a smuggling fee of between $15,000 and $20,000. The women worked between six and seven days a week, and had sex with approximately twenty to twenty-five men each night. The organization charged customers $30 for 15 minutes of sex. Half the $30 charge was applied to reduce the smuggling fee owed by the women. The organization kept the other half.
On September 29, 2008, Monsalve was sentenced to twenty years’ imprisonment to be followed by a term of five years’ supervised release.
This investigation was conducted by the Clearwater Area Human Trafficking Task Force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Tallahassee Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Corey J. Smith.