JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A man is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond in Jefferson County after he was arrested on human trafficking charges, the sheriff's office said on Thursday.
Roman Bear Rivera, 39, was arrested on Oct. 19 with assistance from Denver Police. Online court records show that Rivera has a criminal history dating back to 2002 and has been previously charged with theft and escape.
He's now facing new charges of human trafficking and pimping.
In July, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit worked in conjunction with the FBI on Operation Cross Country, to recover children and others who are being trafficked throughout the U.S.
According to an affidavit for Rivera's arrest, as part of that effort, an undercover officer responded to an ad on a website called "MegaPersonals" and arranged to meet a woman who had advertised sexual services.
Once at a hotel with the woman, the undercover officer initiated a bust. When the woman failed to return home, the officer began getting calls and texts from an unknown number, which was later determined to belong to Rivera.
The messages indicated that Rivera knew the undercover officer was the last client of the woman and threatened to expose him if he didn't pay up.
The woman lived at a hotel and gave the money she earned from her sexual encounters to Rivera, according to the affidavit. She had to ask Rivera for money to pay for her stay or food, according to the document.
As part of the investigation, an officer also spoke to Rivera using a fake Facebook profile of a young woman. In those conversations, Rivera encouraged the "woman" to work for him.
When the "officer" asked if Rivera would take a percentage he responded by saying, "No, whatever you’re comfortable with doing," the affidavit says.
Investigators believe Rivera has victimized others who have not come forward. They believe those victims may include women and potentially underage girls in the metro area.
His arrest marks the second human trafficking arrest in Jefferson County in recent weeks.
Late last month, 53-year-old Yuewu Zhao was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking for involuntary servitude.
According to the sheriff's office, in that case, someone reported that alleged sexual acts were being performed at a massage parlor in the 16000 block of South Golden Road in Golden. The reporting party also said they believed the masseuse could be a victim of human trafficking.
Jeffco's Special Investigations Unit conducted an investigation into the parlor, which led to the discovery of evidence that sexual acts were taking place, the sheriff's office said. Upon further investigation, a human trafficking operation was exposed and, according to the sheriff's office, "at least one female masseuse— a Chinese citizen— was coerced into performing labor, including sex acts, in exchange for the promise of a green card."
Anyone with information about Rivera, or who believes they were victimized by him is asked to call the sheriff's office tipline at 303-271-5612. You can remain anonymous.
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