Alleged Prostitution Ring That Used Juveniles Busted In Bergen County

Four people, including an 18- and 19-year-old, were arrested and charged with running a human trafficking and prostitution operation in Bergen County recently, authorities announced.

The South Hackensack Police Department received a report Sunday of three females being forced to prostitute themselves at a borough motel, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal said.

Police and prosecutor's office Special Victims Unit investigated the report and found three juvenile female human trafficking victims being forced to prostitute themselves at the hotel, Grewal said. Four people were subsequently arrested as a result of the investigation.

Edwin A. Boneta, 22, of Central Islip, New York, and Jefferson Contreras, 18, of Bay Shore, New York, were each charged with three counts of human trafficking, three counts of promoting prostitution of a juvenile, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Selena Boneta, 19, of West Babylon, New York, was charged with three counts each of human trafficking and endangering the welfare of a child.

The three were arrested in Suffolk County, New York, the prosecutor said. They were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning in Suffolk County District Court and will be lodged in the Suffolk County Correctional Center pending extradition to New Jersey.

Stephanie Boneta, 23, of Paterson, was charged with three counts each of facilitation of human trafficking endangering the welfare of a child. Superior Court Judge Susan J. Steele set her bail at $225,000 with no 10 percent option.

Stephanie Boneta is to have no contact with the victims, their families, and must surrender her passport if released on bail, Grewal said. She was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of bail. She is scheduled to appear in Bergen County Judicial Processing Court Oct. 31 at 8:30 a.m.

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Photos:

Jefferson Contreras, 18, of Bay Shore, New York

Edwin A. Boneta, 22, of Central Islip, New York

Selena Boneta, 19, of West Babylon, New York

Stephanie Boneta, 23, of Paterson

Photos courtesy of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office