Eight Charged in NJ Home-Based Sex Trafficking Ring

Authorities in New Jersey charged eight individuals with human trafficking and racketeering after dismantling a prostitution ring operating out of residential homes in Trenton and Camden. The alleged ringleaders, Vilma Deleon Bracamonte and Maria Soledad Xec Chan, reportedly lured women from South and Central America, aged 21 to 58, with false job promises before forcing them into prostitution and threatening their safety and families. The operation used business cards for fake plumbing and barber services, which diverted callers to a messaging app advertising sex services. Investigators rescued 15 women who were held captive in at least five brothels and were not allowed to leave. Other defendants acted as inspectors and house managers, collecting money and helping enforce control. The investigation began in May 2024 after police found suspicious business cards at addresses with no actual businesses.