[NYDAILYNEWS] Sex trafficking was a family affair for the Melendez-Rojas brothers ‐ and now they may spend the rest of their lives together in prison.Mexican nationals Jose Osvaldo Melendez-Rojas, 43, Rosalio Melendez-Rojas, 38, Jose Miguel Melendez-Rojas, 43 and two Queens relatives were all found guilty of spending the last decade running an international sex trafficking ring where girls were smuggled into the U.S. with promises of a better life, then forced to work as hookers, authorities said.
A Brooklyn federal jury on Friday convicted the three brothers, along with nephew Francisco Melendez-Perez, 25, and cousin Abel Romero-Melendez, 33, of sex trafficking, money laundering, sex trafficking conspiracy and interstate prostitution.
During the two-week trial in Brooklyn Federal Court, several victims broke down in tears as they testified how the siblings would threaten their families if the girls didn’t do what they wanted.
At least six victims from ages 14 to early 20s were ferried to clients in apartments in Flushing and Corona in Queens. The five men created a bargain basement escort service, where drivers took the women to clients and charged $30 for a 15-minute session.
During a seven-hour shift, the girls would have sexual relations with 15 to 20 men, prosecutors said.
"Every night before each shift (the defendants) gave their victims a set of condoms," federal prosecutor Erin Argo said in her closing argument. "And every night after each shift they counted the ones that remained to make sure they had gotten every cent their victims had been paid."
Drivers also advertised the prostitution ring by handing out "chica cards" on main commercial strips like Roosevelt Ave. in Queens that had phone numbers where people can call and request prostitution services, Argo said.