Southampton Town Police Close Two Houses of Prostitution; Five Arrests Made During Undercover Sting (Hamptons.com)

Southampton Town Police Close Two Houses of Prostitution; Five Arrests Made During Undercover Sting

Updated: August 31, 2009, 2:16 pm

Southampton - The Southampton Town Police Department's Street Crime Unit launched an undercover investigation into two reported houses of prostitution recently, one at 6 Glendale Street in Westhampton and the other at 218 North Magee Street in Southampton.

According to police reports, the investigation revealed that the houses were being operated by the same ring of offenders. Police say the prostitution ring appears to operate by bringing out prostitutes from as far as New Jersey to service a clientele of between 30 and 40 “Johns" per woman, each night of the week. Two women, working each evening and into the night, would get paid approximately $15 per customer, while the promoters were collecting between $30 and $40 from the clients.

Following the brief investigations, police officers arrested Carol Maria Lopez, 51, of Queens, Luis Fernando Torres Altimaro, 25, of Westhampton, Daniela Zuniga, 18, of New Brunswick, NJ, Juan Trujillo, 22, of Southampton and Delcin Omar Contreras, 30, of Southampton.

Lopez and Zuniga are both charged with prostitution, a class “B" misdemeanor. Altimaro is charged with promoting prostitution in the fourth degree, a class “A" misdemeanor. Trujillo is charged with patronizing a prostitute in the third degree, a class “A" misdemeanor, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a class “A" misdemeanor. Contreras is charged with obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, a class “A" misdemeanor.

Police also report that all of the subjects are in the United States illegally. They have been reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Police state that this is an ongoing investigation and that more arrests are expected. Anyone with information about this case or any crime is urged to contact the Southampton Town Police Street Crime Unit, 631-702-2245, or the Crime Hotline at 631-728-3454.