Memphis, Tenn. - Three men linked to a brothel that employed a teenage girl who was trafficked into the country pleaded guilty here today following a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee; the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and the Memphis Police Department.

Fernando Reyes-Santillan pleaded guilty to one count of commercial sex trafficking of a minor. Co-defendants, Diego Cortes-Barrientos and Rafael Cortes-Barrientos, each pleaded guilty to one count of failing to file a factual statement about alien individuals they harbored for the purpose of prostitution. Reyes-Santillan could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison. Diego Cortes-Barrientos and Rafael Cortes-Barrientos face up to ten years in prison.

With these pleas, eight defendants have pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and commercial sex charges in connection with brothels operated in Memphis. Four other defendants remain under indictment in the same case for crimes including child sex trafficking, conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, conspiracy to commit money laundering, enticing an individual to travel in interstate commerce to commit prostitution, and failure to file a factual statement about an alien.

At his plea hearing, Reyes-Santillan admitted to operating a brothel and knowingly employing a juvenile to engage in prostitution. Diego Cortes-Barrientos and Rafael Cortes-Barrientos admitted to working at brothels in Memphis and taking money from clients who engaged in commercial sex acts with alien prostitutes. Both defendants further admitted that neither they nor any of the other operators of the brothels had filed a factual statement with ICE setting forth the names of the aliens, the place at which they were kept, the date of their entry into the United States, their ports of entry, or their ages, nationality, or parentage.

Human trafficking prosecutions are a top priority for ICE and the Department of Justice. In the last six fiscal years, the Civil Rights Division, in conjunction with U.S. Attorneys' Offices, has increased by six-fold the number of human trafficking cases filed in court, quadrupled the number of defendants charged, and tripled the number of defendants convicted. In 2006, a record number of convictions were obtained in human trafficking prosecutions.

"This case is a perfect example of the outstanding cooperation between ICE and its law enforcement partner agencies," said Michael A. Holt, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in New Orleans. "Because of such positive interagency cooperation, human trafficking and smuggling networks are discovering how difficult it is for them to hide their illegal activities from authorities. We are dedicated to identifying and dismantling these types of illicit operations wherever and whenever we find them."

Assistant United States Attorney Steve Parker of the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Jonathan Skrmetti from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice are prosecuting the case. The victims and witness identified in this case have been assisted by World Relief, Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army, and the YWCA.

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