Federal authorities arrested three individuals in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, accusing them of operating a strip club as a prostitution ring and harboring illegal aliens for financial gain, according to the Department of Justice.
The case alleges an organized scheme involving commercial sex, transportation of workers, and the recruitment of foreign nationals to work unlawfully in the territory.
A federal judge in the District of the Virgin Islands authorized arrest warrants for Hussein Jamil, also known as Tony, 56; Magda Castro Santos, also known as Tatiana, 39; and Julio Hidaldo De Pena, 65, all of St. Thomas.
Prosecutors said the three defendants were involved in criminal activity centered around Tootsys Gentlemen’s Club, a strip club in St. Thomas allegedly used as a brothel.
According to court documents, Jamil owned and operated the club. Authorities allege he helped recruit women through Instagram and other platforms, paid for some U.S. citizens to travel to St. Thomas for work, and financed smuggling operations that brought foreign nationals illegally into the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Federal officials said many of the dancers lived in a house rented by Jamil. Prosecutors allege De Pena transported workers between the residence and the club for scheduled shifts.
Authorities said Castro Santos managed dancers at the club, collected required fees, directed customers to workers, and handled payments for private dances and commercial sex acts.
Investigators further allege that once women arrived in St. Thomas, the defendants used a fee structure that pressured dancers to earn more money through prostitution, including arrangements where customers paid to take workers offsite.
All three defendants are charged with conspiracy to transport individuals for prostitution, conspiracy involving interstate or foreign travel in aid of racketeering enterprises, and conspiracy to harbor aliens for financial gain.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to five years in prison on the prostitution and racketeering conspiracy counts and up to 10 years in prison on the harboring charge.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are leading the investigation. Federal prosecutors in the Virgin Islands and trial attorneys from the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are handling the case.
The arrests were also announced as part of broader federal anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking initiatives, including the Joint Task Force Alpha and Homeland Security Task Force efforts, which focus on transnational criminal organizations, human trafficking networks, and immigration-related crimes.
Federal officials said those initiatives have resulted in hundreds of arrests and convictions in recent years.
The charges are allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
