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Brothel bust in Riverside

VERA CHINESE PHOTO Southampton Town Police raided the home at 43 Vail Avenue in Riverside and arrested six people in connection with a prostitution ring

Six people were arrested in connection with a prostitution ring during a raid on a Riverside brothel, Southampton Town Police said.

Police said the brothel at 43 Vail Ave. was run by two men, Manuel Lopez-Garcia, 23, of Moriches and Guatemala, and Francisco Isreal Gonzalez-Chavarria, 36, of Hampton Bays and Mexico. Charged with third-degree promoting prostitution, they allegedly collected about $30 from customers for each sexual encounter with a prostitute.

Two women arrested during the raid serviced between 30 and 90 customers in a 24-hour period, earning up to $2,700 per day, police said. Fabiola Garduno-Estada, 23, of New Jersey and Berenice Rojas, 22, of Queens, both originally from Mexico, were charged with prostitution.

Alleged patrons Luis Gabriel Mateus, 33, of Riverhead and Guatemala, and Emigdio Rayes aka Emigdio Gonzales, 24, of Hampton Bays and Mexico, were charged with patronizing a prostitute.

Southampton Town Police and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office conducted the raid.

The house came under investigation after neighbors reported an increase in traffic, police said. It was under surveillance for several weeks before the raid, according to Southampton Police Sergeant James Kiernan, who heads the Street Crimes Unit.
Police said customers would sit in a waiting room where they watched television and ate free candy before their encounters.

Women would travel from New York City and work at the house for about a week, according to Sgt. Kiernan. He said the women usually would keep about half the money, but some would earn less than $12 an encounter.

“They usually work in the city,” he said. “They’ll do a week at the house and they’ll get driven or take the train back.”

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