United States v. Estrada-Tepal

57 F. Supp. 3d 164, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137814, 2014 WL 4828866
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 29, 2014
DocketNo. 14-CR-105 (MKB)
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 57 F. Supp. 3d 164 (United States v. Estrada-Tepal) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Estrada-Tepal, 57 F. Supp. 3d 164, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137814, 2014 WL 4828866 (E.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

MARGO K. BRODIE, District Judge:

Defendants Jorge Estrada-Tepal, Ricardo Estrada-Tepal and Victor Leonel Estrada-Tepal are charged with sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(l)-(2), 1594(c), conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324(a)(l)(A)(v)(I), and transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324(a)(l)(A)(ii). Currently before the Court is Defendant Ricardo Estrada-Tepal’s (“Defendant”) motion to dismiss all counts brought pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1591 on the basis that the law is unconstitutionally overbroad.1 For the reasons discussed below, the Court finds that 18 U.S.C. § 1591 is not unconstitutionally overbroad, and therefore denies Defendant’s motion to dismiss all counts brought pursuant to that statute.

I. Background

a. The Estrada-Tepal trafficking organization

In approximately March 2013, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) be[166]*166gan investigating an extended family-known as the “Estradá-Tepal trafficking organization” for sex trafficking activities.2 (Compl. ¶ 3.) As part of the investigation, HSI interviewed a victim (“Victim # 1”) of the Estrada-Tepal trafficking organization. (Id. ¶ 4.) Victim # 1 described the methods by which the Estrada-Tepal trafficking organization engaged in the transportation of women to the United States to work in prostitution and the use of physical violence and threats to force the women to work in prostitution. (Id.) HSI determined that the Estrada-Tepal Trafficking organization operated out of one or more locations in Queens, New York. (Id.)

Victim # 1 met Defendant in Mexico, where they started dating. (Id. ¶ 5.) Shortly thereafter, she moved in with Defendant at his home in Puebla, Mexico. (Id.) Within a week of moving in, Defendant told Victim # 1 that they were going to travel to the United States to work. (Id.) Defendant smuggled Victim # 1 into' the United States on a train. (Id.) Victim # 1 eventually met with Defendant’s brother, Victor Leonel Estrada-Tepal (“Leonel”), in New Jersey on or about August 9, 2011. (Id.) Leonel pressured Victim # 1 to pay her debt—the price of her smuggling into the United States. (Id.) Victim # 1 attempted to obtain money from friends and family but Leonel told her that she would have to work as a prostitute to pay the debt. (Id.) Victim # 1 told Defendant about this demand and Defendant told Victim # 1 to listen to Leonel. (Id.) Victim # 1 was told that if she did not work, her family would pay the price. (Id.) In October 2011, Victim # 1 decided to run away. (Id. ¶ 8.) Defendant called Victim # 1 and told her that if she did not return, something was going to happen to her or her family. (Id.)

Victim #2 met Jorge Estrada-Tepal (“Jorge”) in Mexico where they began dating. (Id. ¶ 11.) Shortly thereafter, Jorge smuggled Victim # 2 into the United States where they lived together in Queens, New York. (Id.) Jorge initially pressured Victim #2 into working at a bar, and later forced Victim # 2 into prostitution. (Id. ¶ 12.) Victim # 2 worked as a prostitute for approximately four years. (Id. ¶ 13.)

In addition, Victim # 3 claims that she was asked by a member of the Estrada-Tepal trafficking organization to travel to the United States for work and was later forced into prostitution. (Id. ¶ 14.)

On January 30, 2014, HSI agents arrested Defendant, and his brothers, Leonel and Jorge, based on their illegal immigration status. (Id. ¶ 25.) Upon arrest, Defendant admitted that he paid approximately $5,500 to have another female victim smuggled into the United States, and after her arrival, she engaged in prostitution. (Id.)

II. Discussion

a. Overbreadth challenge

Defendant argues that “18 U.S.C. § 1591 is unconstitutionally overbroad on its face because it significantly infringes upon the right to free association guaranteed by the First Amendment....” (Def. Mem. at 17.) The government contends that 18 U.S.C. § 1591 does not substantially burden protected speech. (Gov. Opp’n Mem. at 35.) The Court agrees with the government.

“A law is unconstitutionally over-broad if it punishes a substantial amount [167]*167of protected free speech, judged in relation to its plainly legitimate sweep.” Vermont Right to Life Comm., Inc. v. Sorrell, 758 F.3d 118, 127 n. 8 (2d Cir.2014) (quoting United States v. Farhane, 684 F.3d 127, 136 (2d Cir.2011)); Adams v. Zenas Zelotes, Esq., 606 F.3d 34, 38 (2d Cir.2010); see also Members of City Council of L.A. v. Taxpayers for Vincent, 466 U.S. 789, 796, 104 S.Ct. 2118, 80 L.Ed.2d 772 (1984) (“There are two quite different ways in which a statute may be considered invalid ‘on its face’—either because it is unconstitutional in every conceivable application, or because it seeks to prohibit such a broad range of protected conduct that it is unconstitutionally ‘overbroad.’ ”). The Supreme Court has described an overbreadth challenge as “limited” and has noted that its force weakens as the regulated behavior at issue “moves from ‘pure speech’ toward conduct and that conduct—even if expressive—falls within the scope of otherwise valid criminal laws.... ” Broadrick v. Oklahoma, 413 U.S. 601, 615, 93 S.Ct. 2908, 37 L.Ed.2d 830 (1973); Gospel Missions of Am., a religious corporation v. City of Los Angeles, 419 F.3d 1042, 1050 (9th Cir.2005) (“The overbreadth doctrine’s concern with chilling protected speech attenuates as the otherwise unprotected behavior that it forbids the State to sanction moves from pure speech toward conduct.” (alteration and internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Virginia v. Hicks, 539 U.S. 113, 124, 123 S.Ct. 2191, 156 L.Ed.2d 148 (2003))); United States v. Richards, No. 13-CR-818, 2014 WL 3765712, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. July 29, 2014) (quoting Broadrick, 413 U.S. at 615, 93 S.Ct. 2908).

“The first step in overbreadth analysis is to construe the challenged statute; it is impossible to determine whether a statute reaches too far without first knowing what the statute covers.” United States v. Stevens, 559 U.S. 460, 474, 130 S.Ct. 1577, 176 L.Ed.2d 435 (2010) (alteration omitted) (quoting United States v. Williams, 553 U.S. 285, 293, 128 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
57 F. Supp. 3d 164, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137814, 2014 WL 4828866, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-estrada-tepal-nyed-2014.