WEST CHESTER, PA — A Chester County jury this week convicted 53-year-old Ubaldo Vergara-Dominguez of Coatesville, PA, of human trafficking, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and related offenses for illegally bringing a 15-year-old victim into the United States, holding her captive, and sexually assaulting her for years. During the time she was held here he also physically assaulted her and impregnated her multiple times. He will be sentenced at a later date.
“This was an unimaginable nightmare for this victim. The defendant manipulated her when she was a teenager with promises of a better life in this county and then took full advantage of her innocence for years,” said DA Deb Ryan, He cut off her connection to loved ones, forced her to work without pay, assaulted her, and kept her here feeling trapped and helpless. We thank the jury for this just outcome and the police for their efforts in saving her and her children from further harm.”
According to Assistant District Attorney Zachary Yurick, on February 7, 2019, the victim, age 27, reported to the Coatesville City Police Department that she had been sexually assaulted and impregnated by the defendant, Ubaldo Vergara-Dominguez, when he was 36 years old and she was 15-years-old.
The victim informed detectives that in October 2007, when she was 15, she was brought to the United States with illegal documentation provided to her by the defendant, with the promise of a home and good paying job. The victim further disclosed that when she was brought to this country, she was immediately forced to work for the defendant without payment.
The victim disclosed that she was held captive in the defendant’s home located at the 600 block of Merchant Street, Coatesville, Chester County, PA, and was not permitted to contact her family. The victim told investigators that all original, falsified documents that were used to enter the United States were withheld from her, and she was threatened by the defendant if she told anyone.
Investigators learned that in the first couple weeks of being in the defendant’s home, the victim was provided alcoholic beverages and forced to have sex with him. She stated that she became pregnant with his child at 15 and he demanded that she not tell anyone. The victim stated that she was provided falsified documentation with a fake name and date of birth for hospital visits so no one would know she was a minor. The victim said that the defendant was not present for any hospital visits or the birth of their child, and he was not identified on the birth certificate.
The victim gave birth on October 27, 2008, at the Chester County Hospital. She subsequently had two more children after being assaulted by the defendant.
East Whiteland Police Department, the Chester County Detectives, and the City of Coatesville Police Department conducted the investigation which led to a successful prosecution. Assistant District Attorney Zachary Yurick is the assigned prosecutor.
If you feel unsafe around someone you love, contact the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County’s 24/7 hotline at 888-711-6270 or 610-431-1430. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
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