Woman's guilty plea is latest in brothels case

Federal officials say the brothels catered to migrant workers.

By KEVIN GRAHAM, Times Staff Writer
Published November 8, 2007

TAMPA - People recognize West Tampa as home to some of the city's historic buildings and longtime institutions, from Centro Espanol de Tampa to La Teresita restaurant.

Federal authorities knew it as the location of a different kind of hot spot: a brothel where men paid $25 to have sex with women.

The house of prostitution at 3601 W Palmetto St. in Tampa was one of several across Tampa Bay shut down by law enforcement after close to a dozen men and women who operated them were arrested in June 2005.

Prosecutors said that the individuals charged in operating the brothels flew women to Tampa from New York, Chicago and Puerto Rico.

Men would arrive at the Tampa area homes to pay the doorman a fee, usually $25, and receive a token or a card as proof of payment. They would give that token to their prostitute of choice, who would then redeem the token for wages.

Prosecutors said the women usually received about half the money; the house kept the rest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hoffer told a federal judge Wednesday that prosecutors believe the women at these houses worked voluntarily and were not treated as servants or slaves, though some other bay area cases have brought accusations of human trafficking.

Federal court documents also list other locations that operated as brothels catering to migrant workers from about January 2000 to December 2004, including a home at 3007 Dixon Ave. in Dover and others in Polk County and elsewhere.

On Wednesday, Blanca Iris Ceballos, 44, also known as "Millie," pleaded guilty to her part in operating at least one of the brothels in Wauchula and transporting prostitutes to different locations.

Ceballos faces a maximum of five years in prison but remains free until U.S. District Judge James Whittemore sentences her. While the judge will decide how much prison time she receives, prosecutors have agreed to ask Whittemore for a reduced sentence. A sentencing date has not been set.

A federal indictment filed in June 2005 charged 11 people in the prostitution ring. Nine of them pleaded guilty in 2006 and have each received prison time. Besides Blanca Ceballos, the last defendant with no resolution in the case is Orlando Ceballos, 34.

He hasn't signed a guilty plea, but court records filed Wednesday show that the U.S. Attorney's Office has offered him one.

The prison time handed out so far ranges between 15 and 36 months, depending on the involvement of the defendant.

Kevin Graham can be reached at kgraham@sptimes.com or 813 226-3433.

[Last modified November 8, 2007, 00:21:48]