A Putnam County, New York police officer was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly protecting a Queens-based sex trafficking ring so he could gain sexual favors, according to prosecutors.
The accused police officer, Wayne Peiffer, was among six suspects charged in Brooklyn federal court over the dirty business that trafficked young and underage girls from Mexico into the US, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York reported.
According to prosecutors, the organization has been operating since 2002, with its members luring women and girls across the border under the false pretense of a brighter future before forcing them into prostitution in various locations, including Queens and the northern suburb of Brewster.
Peiffer is accused of protecting the organization from arrests for the past eight years, in part, by informing them in advance of law enforcement operations, prosecutors said.
In return, Peiffer allegedly demanded Sex Trafficking Organization to be providing him with girls so he could engage in sexual activities with them — even at his police station sometimes, the US Attorney’s Office said.
Authorities identified the members of the Sex Trafficking Organization as 33-year-old Luz Elvira Cardona, 54-year-old Roberto Cesar Cid Dominguez, 51-year-old Blanca Hernandez Morales, and 32-year-old Jose Facundo Zarate Morales.
Cristian Noe Godinez, 42, is accused of running the Prostitution Business.
The six defendants are facing numerous charges, including conspiracy to transport minors and the transportation of minors, sex trafficking, and the promotion of prostitution.
