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On Thursday, March 11, Virginia Maldonado, 32, of Springfield, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts, said.
Maldonado was a co-conspirator of William Coleman who pleaded guilty in 2020 to sex trafficking crimes.
Maldonado managed Coleman’s prostitution business on a temporary basis while he was in jail for 30 days. She took instruction from Coleman while he was in jail and took photos of female sex trafficking victims to be used in sex ads.
Another co-conspirator, Shannon Yelinek, 36, of Springfield, pleaded guilty earlier this week to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking allows for a sentence of up to life in prison. Maldonado will be sentenced on June 4.
Law enforcement agencies that participated in Yelinek’s investigation, arrest, and prosecution are the Hampden County District Attorney, Homeland Security, Hampden County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Springfield Police, Massachusetts State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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