Illegal Alien Who Forced Three Cuban Women to Work in Strip Clubs Sentenced to Over 17 Years in Federal Prison

SAN ANTONIO - An illegal alien from Cuba was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 210 months in prison for labor trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas.

According to court documents, Yoirlan Tome-Rojas, 46, helped bring three adult females from Cuba to the U.S. by paying for their flights, drivers, hotels, and the coyotes who smuggled them across the U.S.-Mexico border. Tome-Rojas charged the women a travel debt up to $50,000 each and forced them to work in strip clubs seven days a week. Throughout the months the women were in his custody, he transported them to Indiana, Detroit, Michigan, and San Antonio for them to work in various clubs.

Tome-Rojas required the women to provide him with all of their earnings and prohibited them from leaving or ending their work until their respective travel debts were paid off. He continually added the cost of food, clothes, shelter, transportation, and more to their travel debts.

Two of the women were with Tome-Rojas for approximately three months and, according to Tome-Rojas, only paid approximately $1,000 toward their debt. Throughout their victimization, the women feared for their own safety and for the safety of their families in Cuba.

Tome-Rojas pleaded guilty on June 3 to three counts of labor trafficking. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez to 210 months in federal prison on each of the three counts to run concurrently.

"As an illegal alien himself, Tome-Rojas smuggled three women out of Cuba, buried them in tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and forced them to work in strip clubs across multiple states while fearing for their own lives and the lives of their loved ones," said U.S. Attorney Simmons. "This is modern-day slavery, and it is more common in our communities than many Americans realize. This office, along with our partners at ICE Homeland Security Investigations, will continue to hunt down and prosecute any trafficker who thinks they can exploit vulnerable people on American soil and get away with it."

"This 17 ½ year prison sentence reflects the brutality of Tome-Rojas' crimes and HSI's continued commitment to dismantling human-trafficking networks," said Special Agent in Charge, John A. Pasciucco, HSI. "Tome-Rojas preyed on vulnerable women, smuggled them into the United States, and trapped them in a cycle of fear, coercion and escalating debt while stealing the proceeds of their labor. HSI will continue to tirelessly pursue those who treat human beings as commodities and ensure survivors could reclaim their freedom."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia McNab and Karina O'Daniel prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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