Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Queens Man with Coercing Women to Travel Between New York and New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and Virginia for the Purpose of Engaging in Prostitution

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and JANICE K. FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), announced the arrest on Friday, February 4, 2011, of NICHOLAS ALVAREZ on charges that he coerced and transported multiple young women between New York and New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and Virginia for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. ALVAREZ, 35, was arrested Friday, February 4, 2011, by FBI and westchester County Police Department agents. He was presented the same evening in White Plains federal court before United States Magistrate Judge LISA MARGARET SMITH.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA stated: "This is a particularly heinous crime because it not only promoted prostitution in our district, but prostitution by coercion. I commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their swift and vigilant actions."

FBI Assistant Director in Charge JANICE K. FEDARCYK stated: "Alvarez coerced women into servitude of the most degrading form, and terrorized them when they tried to get free of him. The FBI is committed to the mission of protecting the most vulnerable victims from predatory exploitation."

According to the criminal complaint filed on Friday, February 4, 2011:

Between at least January 2, 2011, and February 3, 2011, ALVAREZ, who also uses the aliases of "Carlos Gomez," "Carlos Garcia," "Jonathan Cuellar," and "Luis Torres," coerced at least three women to work for him as prostitutes. ALVAREZ transported the women throughout the Eastern united States in order to engage in prostitution. ALVAREZ advertised the women's services as prostitutes on an Internet website. After the women received payment for engaging in sexual activity, the women would give all of the money to ALVAREZ. When these women told ALVAREZ that they no longer wanted to work as prostitutes for him, ALVAREZ physically and emotionally abused them. The physical abuse inflicted by ALVAREZ to these women included slapping, punching, striking with a baseball bat, and holding one woman's head under water. ALVAREZ also threatened violence to both the women and the women's family members in order to coerce the women to engage in prostitution.

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ALVAREZ, of Queens, New York, is charged with one count of transporting an individual in interstate commerce with the intent that the individual engage in prostitution and one count of coercing an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution. Upon conviction, he faces a maximum of 30 years in prison on those charges.

Mr. BHARARA praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety for their work in this case. He also said that the investigation is continuing.

This case is being handled by the Office's White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney ANDREW BAUER is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.