A Falconer woman will be headed to prison after admitting to sex trafficking drug addicts, as well as peddling drugs.
U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross has announced that 25-year-old Cora Waddington, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and benefiting financially from trafficking in persons. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Maeve E. Huggins, who are handling the case, stated that between October and December 2022, Waddington conspired with Zaid Mendoza a/k/a Diamond, and Kelvin O. Thomas to conduct a sex trafficking operation utilizing two victims with drug addictions.
Waddington, Mendoza, and Thomas provided shelter to the victims at a W. Main Street residence in Falconer, and provided them with food, clothing, and daily quantities of heroin and fentanyl in exchange for their performance of commercial sex acts for money. The proceeds went to Mendoza who then provided clothes, food, spending money, heroin, and methamphetamine to Waddington.
The victims, through force and threats of force, performed commercial sex acts at both “in calls” at the W. Main Street residence, and “out calls.” Waddington transported the victims to “out calls.” Waddington, Mendoza, and Thomas utilized the website Skipthegames.com to entice customers for their sex trafficking scheme.
Waddington was also an organizer, leader, manager, and supervisor in Mendoza’s drug trafficking operation. She provided heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine to the victims, as well as Mendoza’s other drug customers. In October 2022, law enforcement stopped Waddington’s vehicle, which included Mendoza as a passenger. Waddington had an outstanding warrant and was arrested. Officers recovered methamphetamine on her person, as well as a bag of fentanyl on Mendoza’s person.
On Dec. 7, 2022, a search warrant was executed at the West Main Street residence, during which cash, drug paraphernalia, a semi-automatic pistol, and multiple plastic bags of narcotics were recovered.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson; the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarantino III, New York Field Division; and the Town of Ellicott Police Department, under the direction of Chief William Ohnmeiss Jr.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This investigation is also assisted by the Western New York Human Trafficking Task Force, a multi-disciplinary task force that brings law enforcement and social service agencies together to identify and investigate human trafficking utilizing a victim centered and trauma informed response, was also part of this effort.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 13, 2025, before Judge Sinatra.