SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces bondsman charged with sex trafficking, forced labor
RJ Hernandez faces detention hearing and a raft of federal charges
LAS CRUCES 鈥 A bounty hunter who once received detainees released on bond is now in custody himself, facing a raft of federal charges accusing him of exploiting three victims for sex trafficking and forced labor.
Robert Jay 鈥淩J鈥 Hernandez, 62, was employed by Zia Bail Bonds before he was arrested Wednesday in Las Cruces, according to jail records and a criminal complaint.
Federal prosecutors accuse him of retrieving individuals from custody at the Do帽a Ana County Detention Center and forcing them to stay at his residence, where he would provide them with drugs and force them to work without compensation or engage in sex. The incidents in the complaint date back to September 2024.
Zia Bail Bonds declined to comment regarding the case.
The complaint alleges Hernandez exploited victims鈥 drug addiction or fear of incarceration to achieve compliance.
For instance, prosecutors allege a male defendant facing immigration charges was required to live with Hernandez and assist him with bounty hunting 鈥 with a weapon and tactical gear Hernandez provided.
The man, identified as 鈥淰ictim 1鈥 in the complaint, reported that Hernandez proffered him morphine and fentanyl that he did not want and later reported him to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which arrested the victim.
Two female victims reported to authorities that Hernandez pursued them while they were in custody and released on bond in 2025, requiring them to stay at his home, plying them with fentanyl and pressuring them to have sex or raping them while they were incapacitated.
A witness associated with one of the victims and who visited the residence reported multiple firearms at the location, despite Hernandez having been convicted in Texas in 2017 on a felony count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for financial gain. The complaint states that Hernandez was sentenced to probation and fines in that case.
Hernandez has been charged on counts of forced labor; possessing firearms and ammunition after a felony conviction; possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute; and sex trafficking by means of force, threats, fraud and coercion. He made his initial appearance in court on Thursday morning and is set for a detention hearing May 5.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison stated in a news release that Hernandez faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.
The public defender assigned to his case did not respond to a query from the Journal.
Algernon 顿鈥橝尘尘补蝉蝉补 is the Journal鈥檚 southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.