Greenbelt, Maryland - Jose Hugo Chacon Roque, age 45, of Hyattsville, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to transport at least 100 women from New York and New Jersey to Maryland to employ them as prostitutes, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

According to the plea agreement, from September 2003 to November 2005, Roque and his co-conspirators transported women from New York and New Jersey to Maryland on a weekly basis to employ them as prostitutes.

The conspirators communicated with the women by cellular telephone at least a week prior to their travel to Maryland, and scheduled them to work in places of prostitution that they operated in Prince George’s County. The conspirators picked the women up early on Monday mornings at various pre-arranged locations in New York and New Jersey and dropped them off in Maryland where they worked as prostitutes for a week at a time. A doorman collected money from customers and provided security for the prostitutes. The conspirators provided the prostitutes with food and supplies for a set weekly fee. The prostitutes would be returned to New York and New Jersey on Sunday evenings and another group of prostitutes would be transported to Maryland to work the following week. Roque assisted in the rental of the apartments where the prostitutes lived and worked, assisted in the collection of money from the brothels and owned at least one of the vans used to transport the prostitutes. Roque was given some of the proceeds of the prostitution business.

Roque faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr., has scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the investigative work performed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chan Park and Gina Simms, who are prosecuting the case.