People called police Sunday saying they’d found blood on the floor outside a room at a former St. Thomas brothel. In the room, officers found a bloodied man with a severe head wound, Virgin Islands Police Department officials said Monday.
The yet-unidentified Black male was lying motionless on a bed at the former Embers Guest House but still had vital signs. He was transported to Schneider Regional Medical Center by ambulance but died soon after. He was pronounced deceased by the Emergency Room’s physician.
The cause of death is unknown, pending an autopsy.
Federal agents raided Contant property, formerly known as Embers Guest House, Oct. 30, 2020, finding eight undocumented women from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, most in single rooms stocked with condoms and lubricant, according to court records. One nearly-naked woman dropped to her hands and knees on a bed as a Homeland Security agent entered the room. Seeing this, the business owner, Ramona Rivera Luna, responded: “No! Police!”
The women, none of whom spoke English, told officers that everyone who came to St. Thomas illegally knew to seek out Rivera Luna, better known as “Clara.”
Rivera Luna, who had run the guest house for 15 years, was arrested and, in June 2022, pleaded guilty to importing migrants illegally to perform sex acts. She was sentenced to 87 months in prison and more than $1 million in fines.
