Former Village of Brewster Police Officer Wayne Peiffer was sentenced May 2 in federal court in Brooklyn by U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to 36 months’ imprisonment for his participation in a conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy to commit bribery.
Additionally, Peiffer must pay $5,000 in forfeiture, as well as perform 208 hours of community service in Brewster or a surrounding community during his supervised release.
The charges arose from Peiffer’s protection of two Queens-based prostitution businesses from law enforcement, when the businesses brought women to Brewster to engage in prostitution. Peiffer pleaded guilty to the charges in April 2022.
“The defendant is rightly punished with a prison sentence for disgracing his badge, violating the public trust in the community he was sworn to serve, and facilitating the victimization of vulnerable women – all for his own self-satisfaction,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, who also expressed his appreciation to the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office for its support and assistance throughout the investigation.
From approximately 2010 through October 2018, Peiffer reportedly provided protection to members of a prostitution business and a sex trafficking organization that each transported women from Queens to Brewster for the purposes of engaging in prostitution.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Peiffer’s protection included advance notice of increased law enforcement activities and assistance with avoiding detection and apprehension.
For example, on one occasion, Peiffer warned members of the Cid-Hernandez Sex Trafficking Organization not to travel to Brewster because law enforcement officers in a narcotics investigation were conducting car stops in the area. Peiffer met one of the criminal organization’s employees in a service station and told him to leave the area.
On another occasion, Peiffer called one of the Cid-Hernandez drivers and advised him not to travel to Brewster because of law enforcement activities. When a driver for the organization was pulled over by another Brewster police officer, Peiffer vouched for the driver, describing him as a “friend.”
In exchange for his assistance, Peiffer received sexual services from the women at no cost, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Four of Peiffer’s co-defendants – Luz Elvira Cardona, Roberto Cesar Cid Dominguez, Blanca Hernandez Morales and Jose Facundo Zarate Morales – were convicted of sex trafficking, after trial in October 2023, and are awaiting sentencing. Co-defendant Cristian Godinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate prostitution and conspiracy to facilitate bribery and was sentenced in December to 14 months in prison.
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