Child Abuse Arrest

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Alonso Bruno Cornejo, aka “Casper,” 22, of Fairfax, Virginia, pled guilty this morning to sex trafficking teenage runaways to work in his juvenile prostitution business that serviced clients throughout Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ronald Hosko, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

“This man preyed on vulnerable young runaways and dragged them into the vile world of prostitution,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Sex trafficking is an unconscionable crime that reduces young women to indentured sex slaves. We’re working closely with our law enforcement partners to fight this reprehensible form of exploitation.”

“This case serves as an example that child prostitution takes place in our own towns and neighborhoods,” said SAC Hosko. “Our society has no place for those who prey on children and no tolerance for those who lure children into prostitution or sex trafficking. The FBI is committed to stopping this terrible practice and protecting our children.”

Today, Cornejo pled guilty to one count of sex trafficking of children and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 4, 2011.

In court documents filed with his plea agreement, Cornejo, a Peruvian-born U.S. citizen, admitted that he began his illicit prostitution business in and around August 2009. He recruited juvenile female runaways who were in need of shelter and a way to support themselves. Cornejo preyed upon these vulnerabilities, and with the promise of money and narcotics, enticed the young girls to become prostitutes. Cornejo managed all aspects of his prostitution ring: He recruited the young, vulnerable women to serve as prostitutes, obtained clients, scheduled the prostitution appointments, collected the money that was paid for sexual intercourse, transported the juvenile females to the prostitution appointments, and instructed the juveniles how to engage in sexual intercourse with the paying customers. Cornejo prostituted each of the juvenile survivors on numerous occasions.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary Terwilliger and Rebeca H. Bellows prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.