Sex worker says ex-Virginia cops paid for prostitution and protected a ... trends now
A sex worker alleged that four retired police officers from Fairfax, Virginia, protected the human trafficking ring she was coerced into and paid for prostitutes.
The woman, who went by Jane Doe, blasted the four officers in court on Tuesday, including former Police Chief Edwin Roessler, Captain James Baumstark, and officers Michael Barbazette and Jason Mardocco.
Doe was living in Costa Rica when she was lured to the US to join the ring that was run by a madam named Hazel Sanchez before it was busted by the FBI in 2018. She later went on to file a lawsuit in 2021.
According to a lawsuit filed by Doe, defendants 'conspired to cover up the fact that Fairfax County police officers were actively participating in, and benefiting sexually if not financially from, the work of a local sex trafficking ring,' where women were required to have sex with up to 17 customers a day.
The woman, who went by Jane Doe, claimed in a Fairfax County federal court on Tuesday that former police chief Ed Roessler and three others covered up the ring in exchange. Roessler's attorney has debunked the accusations
Doe claimed four officers (above), including Jason Mardocco (left) and James Baumstark (right) informed Sanchez of potential investigations and covered for the sex trafficking ring
Doe trembled in tears while giving her testimony last week while claiming Sanchez threatened to take away the passports of the women she recruited from Costa Rica if they didn't listen to her demands.
The woman thought she would be working as a nanny, housekeeper, or social escort with Sanchez allegedly telling her that she would also be going on dates to business dinners and events with wealthy men.
Under the impression that she was only taking a two-week trip, Doe met Sanchez in a Fairfax apartment in 2010 after flying to the U.S.
Sanchez then took Doe's travel documents and threatened her family if she didn’t work as a prostitute. She managed to escape in 2015.
Doe claimed in court that the four officers conspired with Sanchez and chose to benefit from the sex ring rather than help the victims.
Barbazette
