Fort Lauderdale couple arrested in prostitution operation

MIAMI – A Fort Lauderdale woman and her boyfriend were arrested for reportedly running various massage parlors that were involved in prostitution.

Forty-nine-year-old Catalina Soto, her boyfriend Yonleno Carmenates, and her son Diego Molina Prieto operated a number of massage parlors and spas across the county.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office launched its investigation into their operations in October 2022. During the course of the investigation, they partnered with Homeland Security, Miramar police, and Fort Lauderdale police. Information obtained during the investigation led them to four establishments with prostitution activity that was generating large sums of cash, according to the sheriff’s office. Two were in Fort Lauderdale, another was in Pompano Beach, and the final one was in Deerfield Beach.

According to the sheriff’s office, detectives found the trio used multiple financial institutions to launder more than $100,000 of prostitution proceeds.

Soto and Carmenates were picked up on July 10th. They’ve been charged with living off earnings from prostitution, money laundering, and racketeering.

Molina Prieto is out of the country. He has an active warrant and will be arrested when he returns.