3 Men Ran Malvern Sex Crime Ring Involving Teens: DA

MALVERN, PA — A 14-year-old's Facebook message to her mother, "I don’t want to be here anymore," assisted in uncovering a Malvern sex crime ring authorities allege was run by three men, officials announced Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they rescued one minor sex trafficking victim at a Lancaster Avenue Wawa following the message to her mother. The girl's rescue then lead authorities to a human sex trafficking organization where the girl and another 18-year-old were being held against their will, authorities said.

The case was investigated by East Whiteland Township police, Chester County Detectives and Homeland Security Investigators.

The Chester County District Attorney said via social media that "three men and others engaged in a criminal conspiracy and criminal course of conduct by recruiting, enticing, soliciting, transporting, obtaining and maintaining individuals who they benefited from financially while they were subjected to sexual servitude, as well as other sexual assaults and criminal activity."

The Chester County District Attorney’s Office and the East Whiteland Township Police Department reported they arrested co-defendants Dimas ("Adonys") Omar Cornejo Hernandez, 34; Franklin ("Mono") Rivera Mendieta, 25; and Josue Sibrian Sanchez, 33, on charges of operating a Corrupt Organization that engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity that included Trafficking in Minors, Involuntary Servitude, Criminal Conspiracy, Kidnapping, Rape, Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse, Promoting Prostitution, and related offenses at various locations in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, between February 2020 and May 2020.

Five other individuals who allegedly paid to have sex with the minor child or the adult victim, or both, were also arrested in East Whiteland Township, according to the District Attorney's statement. They are: Diana Ordonez, 25; Luis Cabrera Peralta, 29; Nestor Ruiz, 45; Juan Humberto Ortiz, 35; and Carlos Villatoro Gallegos, 23.

"The allegations in this case are difficult to digest because of the calculated and deviant sexual exploitation of the two victims. Our office will continue the investigation to determine if there are other victims of this human sex trafficking organization. We encourage anyone with further information to contact our office. These defendants will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said.

The District Attorney's report described the allegations from the criminal complaint:

• A 14-year-old child ("Victim 1"), missing from Maryland since early May 2020, sent a message to a friend to report that she was being held against her will and sold for sex. Her friend contacted police to report the statement.
• According to the complaint, on May 28, 2020, Victim 1 sent a Facebook message to her mother, stating that she "didn’t want to be here anymore" and asked that she pick her up at a Wawa on Lancaster Avenue in East Whiteland Township. Her mother contacted police detailing where she was to meet her daughter, according to the DA's criminal complaint.
• In the early hours of May 30, law enforcement rescued Victim 1 who said she'd been held against her will and forced to have sex for money with as many as four to five individuals per day at three different locations in East Whiteland Township.
• Victim 1 said she was told that she and her mother would be killed if she did not comply.
• Victim 1 stated that she was originally recruited by a female known to her as "Tiny," a 17-year old victim from Camden, NJ, at a party in Washington, D.C. After communicating through Snapchat, Tiny asked Victim 1 if she wanted to make money and then picked Victim 1 up in Maryland with one of the codefendants, according to the criminal complaint.
• Victim 1 was driven to an apartment in Malvern, where she was forced to perform oral sex on one of the co-defendants as a means of "breaking" and "testing" her for the work she would be required to perform, the complaint stated.
• Victim 1 said Tiny and one of the co-defendants took pictures of her that were used to advertise that men could pay to have sex with her. The victim also said she was taken to Walmart to buy "sexy clothes."

According to the District Attorney's report, another co-defendant acted as a doorman who collected money as individuals arrived for sex. He then allegedly waited while they had sex.

Victim 1 also stated that she was told to give a fake name and fake age if asked by anyone. While interviewing witnesses regarding the abuse of Victim 1, a second victim was discovered.

An 18-year-old ("Victim 2"), said she had been held against her will by the co-defendants during February and March of 2020. Victim 2 said she met a female through Snapchat who introduced her to one of the codefendants on the premise that he had a job for her working in a bar.

Victim 2 was picked up in Virginia and brought to East Whiteland Township, where authorities said she was forced to have sex for money with numerous individuals. Victim 2 also said she was sexually assaulted by one of the co-defendants and threatened with bodily harm if she attempted to leave.

She told police she was also forced to ingest drugs on various occasions. One of the co-defendants collected money from individuals who paid to have sex with her and also served as a doorman, according to the police report. She was held for approximately three weeks before she was able to escape, according to the criminal complaint.

"We are very grateful for the persistence and dedication of the East Whiteland Township Police Department, Chester County Detectives and Homeland Security Investigations. Through their hard work and tireless efforts we were able to dismantle this criminal organization that preyed on women and children for their own financial gain. They helped rescue a child and prevent further predatory behavior,” Ryan stated.

Cash bail for the following co-defendants was set at: Josue Sibrian-Sanchez, $150,000; Franklin Rivera-Mendieta, $750,000; Dimas Cornejo-Hernandez $500,000; Diana Ordonez, $200,000; Luis Cabrera Peralta, $200,000; Nestor Ruiz, $100,000; Juan Humberto Ortiz Ortiz, $150,000; and Carlos Villatoro Gallegos, $100,000. All are being held at Chester County Prison and have ICE detainers, except for Rivera-Mendieta.

The preliminary hearings are scheduled for July 9 in Exton.

Ryan's office said the case is being investigated by the East Whiteland Township Police Department and the Chester County Detectives. Deputy District Attorney Erin O’Brien of the Child Abuse Unit is the assigned prosecutor.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact Chester County Detectives at 610-344-6866.