The Brief Yoirlan Tome-Rojas, a 46-year-old Cuban national, was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison for operating a multi-state human trafficking scheme. Prosecutors said Tome-Rojas smuggled three Cuban women into the U.S., imposed fabricated $50,000  travel debts,  and forced them to work in strip clubs to pay it off. The victims were forced to work seven days a week across several states while suffering under constant threats to their safety and their families in Cuba.



A Cuban national living illegally in the United States was sentenced Monday to 17 and a half years in federal prison for operating a multi-state labor trafficking scheme that forced three Cuban women into commercial sex work, federal prosecutors announced.

Sentenced for labor trafficking

What we know:

Yoirlan Tome-Rojas, 46, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio. Tome-Rojas had previously pleaded guilty on June 3 to three counts of labor trafficking, with his sentences set to run concurrently.


The backstory:

According to court documents, Tome-Rojas financed the smuggling of three adult women from Cuba into the United States, covering expenses for flights, drivers, hotels, and border-smuggling guides known as coyotes. Upon their arrival, he imposed fake  travel debts  of up to $50,000 per victim and forced them to work in strip clubs seven days a week across Indiana, Detroit, and San Antonio to pay off the balance.

Federal prosecutors said Tome-Rojas demanded all the women's earnings while continually tacking on additional charges for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, trapping them in an escalating cycle of debt. Two of the victims spent about three months in his custody, paying down only about $1,000 toward their assigned debts. Prosecutors noted the women were prohibited from leaving and suffered in constant fear for their personal safety and the safety of their families in Cuba.

What they're saying:

 This is modern-day slavery, and it is more common in our communities than many Americans realize,  said U.
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