Community
Human Trafficking Arrests
| Nature of Incident: | Human Trafficking Arrests | ||||
| Report Number: | 23-33842 | ||||
| Location: | VIP Therapy Massage: 100 block of W. Fourth Street, Oxnard, California Blue Moon Spa: 700 block of S. A Street, Oxnard, California |
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| Date & Time: | August 4, 2023 @ 11:00 AM | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Ventura County Sheriff’s Special Crimes Unit, Narcotics Units, Ventura County Combined Agency Team (VCAT), Camarillo Special Enforcement Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Main Jail Classification Unit, Ventura County District Attorney’s Office |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
|
Valencia Los Angeles Oxnard |
51 41 58 |
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| Narrative: | |||||
| During the month of March 2023, detectives with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office began investigating VIP Therapy Massage, located in the 100 block of W. Fourth Street, Oxnard, California, suspecting it to be an illicit massage business (IMB). During the investigation detectives learned there was commercial sex occurring throughout the day at this location. California law states an individual is in violation of Penal Code Section 236.1 – Human Trafficking, when a person deprives or violates the personal liberty of another with the intent to effect or maintain a violation of Section 266h – Pimping, 266i – Pandering and other subsections. Within this subsection, the suspect will obtain forced labor or services by using force, fraud, or coercion on their victims. Detectives learned there were elements of coercion on behalf of the owner of VIP Therapy Massage, Silvia Diaz, and the manager, Claudia Gonzalez, on at least two victims working at the location. As a result of the investigation, detectives developed probable cause to arrest Silvia Diaz for a violation of California Penal Code Sections 236.1 – Human Trafficking, 266h – Pimping, 266i – Pandering, and 186.10 – Money Laundering; and probable cause to arrest Claudia Gonzalez for a violation of California Penal Code Sections 236.1 – Human Trafficking, 266h – Pimping, and 266i – Pandering. Detectives also investigated Blue Moon Spa, an additional suspected IMB, located in the 700 block of S. A Street, Oxnard, California. Detectives learned there was commercial sex occurring throughout the day at this location as well. Detectives developed probable cause to arrest the owner of Blue Moon Spa, Irma Mendoza, for a violation of California Penal Code Sections 266h – Pimping, 266i – Pandering, and 186.10 – Money Laundering. On August 4, 2023, detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the FBI, conducted a multi-location search warrant at VIP Therapy Massage, Blue Moon Spa, and Silvia Diaz’ and Irma Mendoza’s residences. As a result of the investigation, Diaz, Gonzalez, and Mendoza were arrested for the above listed charges and booked into the Ventura County Sheriff’s Main Jail with a bail of $900,000. Victim advocates were on scene and spoke with additional potential victims. Detectives seized over $60,000 and a Corvette. Detectives believe all these proceeds were a result of their nefarious activities of operating commercial sex brothels. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes. We are better at what we do because of our community partnerships. Join us in the fight on crime by following us on Twitter @VENTURASHERIFF, Facebook, Instagram @VCSHERIFF, and with Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777 to receive local law enforcement and public safety alerts and advisories. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Conner Armstrong | ||||
| News Release Date: | August 23, 2023 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Conner Armstrong Office: 805-383-8700 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Sergeant Whittaker, Special Crimes Unit YES NO |
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511