NY DOC employee and her ex-con boyfriend pimped out child in statewide sex trafficking scheme, prosecutors says
State Employee and Ex-Con Indicted for Running Sex Trafficking Ring
An employee of the New York state corrections department and her ex-con boyfriend have been indicted for allegedly running a sex trafficking and prostitution ring that exploited at least one child, according to prosecutors.
Deanna DiCastro, 39, and Gillam Cordero, 38, are facing charges for managing the illicit operation across four locations in the state, including Manhattan, the Bronx, Rome, and Utica, between October 2025 and January 2026, as revealed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The couple, who have been in a relationship for four years, are accused of coordinating prostitution activities at hotels in Manhattan and the Bronx. Additionally, when operating upstate, they utilized DiCastro’s home in Rome as a meeting place, where she worked as a state Department of Correction and Community Supervision employee.
According to prosecutors, the pair engaged in sex trafficking by pimping out at least one underage girl and arranging for men to visit her hotel room during the three-month operation. They also allegedly instructed the girl to collect money from the clients.
DiCastro and Cordero reportedly started advertising their services in early October through listings on MegaPersonals, a classified hookup website. In November, Cordero was accused of committing a robbery at gunpoint under DiCastro’s direction.
It was revealed that DiCastro, who possesses a firearm license and has 10 registered pistols in her name, enabled Cordero, a convicted felon, to unlawfully have access to firearms.
Prior to this indictment, Cordero had served time for a previous gunpoint robbery involving the Mac Ballers gang. He had only been released on parole in September.
Both DiCastro and Cordero are facing charges of sex trafficking of a child, first-degree robbery, and third-degree promotion of prostitution. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and urged individuals with relevant information to come forward to his office’s human trafficking unit.
