Police bust prostitution ring that kept dozens of women imprisoned and forced to service up to 40 clients a day

Authorities had been looking for the ring lead by Jose Cruz 'Chato' Romero-Flores for over a year

Romero-Flores and five others were arrested July 11 for their role in the ring



The women prostituted were lured into the country from Mexico and other parts of Latin America with the promise of jobs as babysitters or house cleaners

Once in the U.S., they were forced to serve up to 40 clients a day as prostitutes



Authorities believe several dozen women were used in the business, and are still trying to locate all of them

A prostitution ring in New Jersey that ran a high-volume business with illegal immigrants from Mexico and Latin America was busted Thursday.



The ring, headed by 38-year-old Jose Cruz 'Chato' Romero-Flores, brought women to the U.S. with the promise of jobs as house cleaners or babysitters.



Once in the country, the women endured a 'miserable life of high-volume prostitution' according to New Jersey's acting Attorney General John Hoffman.



Miserable lives: The Lakewood, New Jersey home where Romero-Flores was operating his high-volume prostitution business

Power couple: Jose Cruz 'Chato' Romero-Flores, left, was the ringleader of the business, and his girlfriend Odulia Bedran Trejo, right, helped him find the women in Mexico and transport them to and from the brothel in New Jersey



Romero-Flores set quotas for the women, which had them servicing about 100 men or 'johns' in a regular six-day work week.

Some women would serve as many as 40 clients a day, at the going rate of $30 dollars a session.



'This case bears the classic hallmarks of international sex-related trafficking in that we have young women brought illegally into the United States,' said Hoffman in a press conference. 'They are fearful and they are vulnerable because of their illegal status, their inability to earn a living legitimately and their lack of a network of supportive family and friends.'



Investigators believe that several dozen women were prostituted by the ring, but are still looking for all of them.



'We rescued a number of victims during the take down but we are seeking additional victims in what is an ongoing investigation,' Hoffman said. 'These victims are difficult to find.'



Victims: Acting Attorney General John Hoffman is still looking for more women abused by the ring, but said finding the victims has been difficult

Authorities in New Jersey had been looking for the ring for over a year when they finally tracked them down to a house in Lakewood.



Romero-Flores had been operating multiple brothels, but only one was up and running when police cracked the case.



Romero-Flores was arrested at his Lakewood apartment on July 11 on charges of first-degree human trafficking, second-degree promoting organized street crime and third-degree promoting prostitution.



The human trafficking charge carries a sentence of 20 years to life in state prison.

The same day, police arrested five others involved in the ring, including 22-year-old Odulia Bedran Trejo, Romero-Flores' girlfriend.



Felix Rios-Martinez, 47, Raul Romero-Castillo, 30, Haliro Bueno, 21, and Santos Lazaero Flores-Cruz, 58, were also arrested for their part in the ring.



Accomplices: Felix Rios-Martinez, left, and Raul Romero-Castillo, right were also arrested July 11 for their part in the prostitution business



Illegal: In addition to their prostitution charges, the six arrested - including Haliro Bueno, left, and Santos Lazaero Flores-Cruz, right - will have to deal with immigration as all are Mexican nationals living illegally in the U.S.

Those arrested in the ring are all Mexican nationals living illegally in the United States.



The six members are being held in Ocean County Jail with bail set at $1million for Romero-Flores and $100,000 for the rest of the defendants.



As for the victims, officials have urged the women to come forward regardless of their immigration status. They said they will work with the women to try and get immunity and citizenship, but so far Hoffman hasn't made any promises

