New Mexico Bondsman Charged with Sex Trafficking Scheme

Federal prosecutors in the District of New Mexico charged Robert Jay Hernandez on May 1, 2026, with running a sex trafficking and forced labor scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals he bonded out of jail, per a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

The charges affect an unspecified number of victims whom Hernandez allegedly exploited after posting their bail. The press release details that Hernandez coerced these individuals through threats and manipulation, forcing them into commercial sex acts and labor to repay inflated debts.

No exact count of victims appears in the document, but the scheme involved multiple instances of bonding out people from local jails in New Mexico.

Before the charges, Hernandez operated as a bail bondsman without these federal accusations. Now, he faces indictment under 18 U.S.C. Sections 1591 for sex trafficking and 1589 for forced labor, with the case proceeding in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The charges took effect immediately upon filing on May 1, 2026, initiating pretrial proceedings.

Hernandez's arraignment will occur within weeks, requiring him to enter a plea and potentially face detention pending trial. Conviction could result in sentences of up to life imprisonment for the sex trafficking counts, per federal sentencing guidelines referenced in similar DOJ cases.

The U.S. Attorney's Office must now build its case through evidence collection, while defense attorneys prepare motions that could extend into 2027 hearings.

The charges follow a federal investigation by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, as stated in the press release. This case aligns with the Justice Department's ongoing efforts against human trafficking, with over 200 similar indictments nationwide in 2025 per annual DOJ reports.