Maryland Man Sentenced For his Role In Prostitution Ring

Maryland man, Angel Campos Tellez, who is twenty-seven years old, was sentenced to forty-six months in prison for helping in a commercial sex enterprise, which means “any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person.”

Commercial sex was definitely an issue as Tellez helped transport more than 100 women, which was part of an East Coast prostitution ring. Most of the women were from foreign nationals including New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The prostitution ring operated in Manassas and Woodbridge, as well as Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Baltimore and Delaware, according to prosecutors. Learn more about penalties and charges for prostitution in Maryland by clicking here.

Tellez admitted to coordinating drivers to transport the prostitutes from 2009 to July 2012, according to court documents.

Furthermore, Tellez took on a leadership role in the criminal enterprise’s operation. This means he was responsible for collecting prostitution proceeds, promoting the prostitution scheme, and obtaining living areas for the victims he prostituted.

“Campos Tellez, personally transported prostitutes from the Riverdale apartment…to engage in commercial sex acts,” the complaint said. He would instruct prostitutes to charge $30 for 15 minutes of sex, according to a criminal complaint. Additionally, he collected at least $15,000 as a result of the enterprise, according to prosecutors.

According to Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia stated in a statement, “There are many moving parts in the vile sex trafficking industry – the recruiters, the transporters, and the so-called ‘pimps. Here, Tellez, a leader [in the illegal operation], drove victims up and down the eastern seaboard to be prostituted in various localities. This reprehensible conduct will not be tolerated. ”

Moreover, Tellez would advertise for the enterprise by handing out business cards at restaurants, check cashing stores, construction sites and day laborer sites, according to court documents. Those that were employed for the prostitution ring would meet the prostitutes at the Greyhound bus station in Washington, D.C. and then would transport them to an apartment in Riverdale, MD, according to court documents.

This case was investigated by members of the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration among local, state and federal authorities, along with related nongovernmental groups, to combat sex trafficking crimes. Additionally, federal prosecutors worked with Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli who stated in a statement, “Whatever their role may be in a sex trafficking ring, we want these criminals to know: we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will lock you up for your crimes,”

Campos Tellez pleaded guilty in March for his role in leading the prostitution enterprise and at first he could have received a maximum sentence for five years. Additionally, he also goes by the names “Israel Campos Martinez,” “Abel Cruz Bonilla,” and “Abel Campos,” prosecutors said. And he is also in the U.S. illegally since he is an illegal immigrant from Mexico. This means that Tellez would face deportation when his prison term has ended. He has been deported twice before, according to court records.