A married couple from Florida were arrested this week after the Manhattan District Attorney's office caught them running an "international sex tourism" company, in which they would set up U.S. citizens at a hotel in the Dominican Republic and provide them with prostitutes.
According to a release from the D.A.'s office, 49-year-old Jennifer Cotten and her husband, 50-year-old Alfred Cotten, ran the company Tropical Adult Vacations from July 2011 to August 2015. There, the couple would charge patrons for room and board at their hotel in Boca Chica, where customers "were allowed to select between several different prostituted women, and could engage in sexual activity during stays ranging from 24 hours to one week," according to prosecutors. Trips usually ran about $1,500 for a weekend.
Their website appears to have been taken down. But according to a Daily News screenshot, the company advertised itself as "the best erotic dominican republic adult sex vacation." Per the site: "We do not run a bordello, we run a private adult sex resort."
The D.A.'s office says they've been investigating the Cottens for about 10 months, and believe some of the prostitutes were victims of human trafficking. "The Cottens allegedly exploited women by bringing them into prostitution for international sex travelers, thereby encouraging the growing problem of human trafficking,” Glenn Sorge, acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York, said in a statement. “HSI will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to pursue those criminals who place greed ahead of human dignity.”
Both Cottens have been charged with promoting prostitution in the third degree, which is a felony crime.
