New York Man Pleads Guilty to Prostitution Charge

CONCORD, NH — A New York man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to trafficking women for prostitution after being arrested earlier this year in Salem, according to a press statement from U.S. Attorney Emily Gray Rice. Neptali De La Cruz Hernandez, 32, of New York, NY, pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, 2016, to transporting two women in interstate commerce for prostitution.

According to court records and statements in court, on April 6, 2016, detectives with the Salem Police Department responded to a tip regarding possible prostitution activity at a Salem hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, the detectives conducted an undercover operation, during which they identified two women engaging in prostitution from adjacent hotel rooms.

"While interviewing the suspects, the detectives observed the defendant, De La Cruz Hernandez, driving erratically in the parking lot before he attempted to flee," according to Rice. "They stopped the defendant’s vehicle, and during a subsequent interview, the defendant admitted that he had driven the two women from New York to New Hampshire for the purpose of engaging in prostitution."

De La Cruz Hernandez faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000. He is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 19, 2016.