The young women came by train and bus from New York City. Several were chauffeured to the house in New Fairfield by Lincoln Town Cars run by livery services.
But they were hardly living lives of luxury.
Authorities believe the Latinas had been transported across the U.S. border by human smugglers called "coyotes," who charged thousands of dollars for their services.
The women paid off their debt by having sex with men, turning as many as 88 tricks a week, according to documents filed in state court.
"What the investigators are looking for is human trafficking," said Danbury police Sgt. John Krupinsky, who in 2005 helped break up a Danbury brothel that authorities have linked to the New Fairfield operation.
Prostitution arrests are not uncommon in the Danbury area.
But there was a twist to last month's raid on the white, Cape-style house on Barnum Road in New Fairfield — federal immigration officials were involved. Law enforcement sources said they thought the women were not true prostitutes but were part of a nationwide trend in human trafficking.
Authorities believe that the people who ran the New Fairfield brothel, the men who patronized it and the women who were forced to work there were, for the most part, immigrants.
The women, said Maria-Cinta Lowe, executive director of the Hispanic Center of Greater Danbury, "think they're going to help their families" by going to America to make money.
"It's slavery and it's worse than death," Lowe said of the forced prostitution. "They're trapped. It's very scary."
[...]
According to the affidavit, "between Sept. 13, 2005, and Oct. 6, 2005, between the hours of 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on seven diverse dates, a minimum of 84 males, suspected of being 'customers,' appearing to be of Spanish or similar descent, entered/exited the residence. That the average time a customer spent inside the residence was between 15 to 30 minutes."
Men coming to the brothel's door were checked out by a combination doorman-bouncer, who peered at customers through a peephole, according to the affidavit. The men then entered the house, paid the doorman $30, and were given a half a playing card with the word "OK" on it, the affidavit said.
The men took the card to the woman of his choice, according to the affidavit, and the woman kept it for her records. At the end of the day, the woman turned in her cards and got paid $15 for each one, according to the affidavit.
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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
