Brighton Beach Mother and Daughter Indicted for Labor and Sex Trafficking in Massage Parlors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Brighton Beach Mother and Daughter Indicted for

Labor and Sex Trafficking in Massage Parlors

Defendants Allegedly Forced Victim to Engage in
Sexual Conduct with Customers in Gravesend and Midwood

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that two women, a mother and daughter, have been arraigned on an indictment in which they are charged with sex trafficking, labor trafficking, promoting prostitution, and related charges for allegedly forcing a woman to engage in sexual conduct for money and promoting the prostitution of another woman.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "These defendants allegedly coerced and abused a vulnerable woman during a difficult time in her life, while running multiple illicit massage parlors in numerous locations in Brooklyn. I am fully committed to investigating and prosecuting this type of abhorrent trafficking, to protect victims and to fight against all exploitation of women."

The District Attorney identified the defendants as Taya Benayun, 59, and Vladilina Benaun, 37, of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. They were arraigned today before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Adam Perlmutter on a nine-count indictment in which they are charged with sex trafficking, labor trafficking, third- and fourth-degree promoting prostitution, and permitting prostitution. They were each ordered held on bail of $150,000 cash or $300,000 bond and to return to court on February 11, 2026.

The District Attorney said the investigation began following a series of community complaints regarding an alleged illicit massage parlor located at 2281 McDonald Avenue in Gravesend.

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, one of the victims, a 23- year-old woman, needed to raise money for her ill father and was referred to the defendants by a friend in January 2024. She was allegedly forced to work from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. six days a week and required to split her earnings from engaging in sexual conduct 50/50 with the defendants. The victim worked out of alleged massage parlors run by the defendants at 2281 McDonald Avenue and 1204 Coney Island Avenue.

The victim's father died in June 2024, and after that the victim became ill and could not work. While she was in the hospital recovering, it is alleged, the defendants called and texted her incessantly and threatened to report her to the authorities. They also allegedly threatened her and a friend of hers with physical violence. The victim eventually returned to work because of the alleged threats and was afraid to leave.

Furthermore, it is alleged, in February 2025, a second victim, a 20-year-old woman, responded to an advertisement the defendants allegedly placed for a massage parlor employee on RusRek.com, the digital version of Russkaya Reklama, a Russian language newspaper. The victim worked three days a week and could choose her schedule. The financial split, however, was the same 50/50. She also told police that she worked at 1204 Coney Island Avenue and 2359 Coney Island Avenue, and that multiple women worked at both locations. She also alleged that the locations had multiple internal and external surveillance cameras so that their activity could be monitored at all times.

The case investigation was led by Police Officer Konstantin Lyubinsky, of the New York City Police Department Brooklyn Vice Enforcement Division, under the supervision of Sergeant Brian Gribbin and Lieutenant Ewa Lapinska, and the overall supervision of Deputy Inspector Stanislav Levitsky.

The District Attorney thanked Human Trafficking Unit Social Worker Raquel Alger, Office Manager Aurora Martinez, Paralegal Aaliyah Antrobus, Deputy Unit Chief Robert Kaftal, and Senior Assistant District Attorney Fernando Leal and Office Manager Brenda Campbell from the Law Enforcement Assistance Unit for their assistance on this investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mary E. Monahan, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney's Human Trafficking Unit, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney David Weiss, Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Miss Gregory, Chief of the District Attorney's Special Victims Bureau.

#

An indictment is merely an accusation and not proof of a defendant's guilty