Valentino Shine, Sr., 49, of Buffalo, NY, is staring down federal prison time after a grand jury indictment on charges of narcotics conspiracy, using and maintaining a drug-involved premises, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and commercial sex trafficking. The charges, announced by Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., carry a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars and a $1,000,000 fine. Shine is accused of running a dual criminal enterprise—peddling crack cocaine and exploiting vulnerable women through coerced prostitution.
Shine allegedly operated the sex trafficking ring alongside 25-year-old Brittany Wieand, also of Buffalo, who is charged with commercial sex trafficking and faces up to 15 years in prison. According to the indictment and a prior complaint, the pair used drugs as leverage—doling out crack to victims or withholding it—to force them into commercial sex acts at their Humboldt Parkway residence. The home served as both a drug den and a trap house for exploitation, federal prosecutors allege.
Co-defendant Jesse Lewis, 46, another Buffalo resident, faces a cascade of charges including narcotics conspiracy, maintaining a drug premises, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. That last charge comes with a mandatory minimum of five years, stacking on top of a possible 20-year sentence and $1,000,000 fine. Lewis isn’t just accused of dealing—he’s accused of arming himself to protect the operation.
The case began unraveling on September 30, 2016, when federal agents raided Lewis’s North Ogden Street residence. Inside, they found cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded firearm. Then, on October 31, 2016, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police pulled over a car driven by Lewis with Shine in the passenger seat. Officers recovered multiple bags of cocaine, each packaged and ready for street sale. Both men were also found carrying exactly $1,000 in cash—a detail that prosecutors say points to drug proceeds.
At Shine’s Humboldt Parkway home, executed under a separate search warrant, investigators found more crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia, cementing the narcotics case. But the deeper horror emerged in the allegations of coercion—using addiction as a weapon to control victims in a sex trafficking ring. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trini E. Ross and Patricia Astorga are leading the prosecution, painting a picture of a tightly run criminal network rooted in addiction and violence.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict. Shine, Wieand, and Lewis remain in federal custody awaiting trial. As always, the U.S. Department of Justice reminds the public that indictments are accusations only—defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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