⏱ 3 min read
A ruthless New Mexico bounty hunter has been busted for exploiting vulnerable victims, including a sex trafficking scheme that left one man cowering in fear and another held at gunpoint. Robert Jay Hernandez, 62, of Las Cruces, is accused of targeting jailbirds with addiction problems and offering them a ‘sweet deal’ – only to turn them into his own personal slaves.
According to a federal indictment, Hernandez bonded out multiple victims from the Doña Ana County Detention Center and forced them to live at his home, where he’d provide them with drugs and coerce them into performing labor and sex work. In one chilling instance, a victim claimed Hernandez handed him fentanyl under the guise of medical treatment, even though he hadn’t received a prescription.
But that was just the beginning. When one victim tried to leave, Hernandez reportedly called immigration authorities to report him, leading to his arrest. Another victim said Hernandez threatened to return her to jail if she didn’t comply with his demands, and the 62-year-old even pulled a gun on her when she tried to break free.
Related Federal Cases
- James McFadden, Child Sex Trafficking, CO 2019 · New Mexico
- Samuel Rappylee Bateman, Child Sex Trafficking and Child Pornograph… · Arizona
- Juan Larry Lujan, Child Sex Abuse, New Mexico 2016 · New Mexico
- Jason Michael Wolf, Child Sex Trafficking, DC 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Patrick Carpio, Child Sex Abuse of Minor, New Mexico 2024 · New Mexico
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Sex Crimes
- Defendant: New Mexico
- Location: NM
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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