Federal judge sentences 4 in sex-trafficking ring
A federal judge sentenced four men to several years in jail for their part in a sex-trafficking ring that targeted young women from Mexico.
Juan Cortes-Meza, 33, Raul Cortes-Meza, 22, Edison Wagner Rosa Tort, 71, and Otto Jaime Larios Perez, 27, were sentenced Wednesday for bringing 10 women from Mexico into Atlanta and then forcing them into a prostitution ring, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The men promised the women good jobs, romantic relationships and, essentially, a better life, if they came to Atlanta, authorities said.
But, when the women got here, officials said they were forced to perform sex acts with a number of paying clients on a nightly basis.
“Those who enslave and sell young women for sex, or who profit from it, must be held accountable. Nothing we can do will fully restore these victims from the harm they suffered at the hands of these criminals, but we will do everything in our power to stop others from being abused,” U.S Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said.
Each man played a part in the conspiracy, either smuggling in the women from Mexico, driving them to apartments and homes for sex, or keeping them at their own residence.
Juan Cortes-Meza, of Mexico, was sentenced to 16 years, eight months in prison for smuggling a 17-year-old woman to Atlanta by telling her she would have a job as a housekeeper or in a restaurant, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Cortes-Meza instead forced to her perform commercial sex acts and collected the money that clients paid her each night.
Cortes-Meza also beat the 17-year-old, authorities said. He must pay her $57,600 as part of his sentence.
Raul Cortes-Meza, also of Mexico, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bringing in a woman from Mexico and forcing her to perform sex acts. He must repay her $7,000 as part of his sentence.
Rosa Tort was sentenced to five years in prison for taking one of the women from the sex-trafficking ring and keeping her at his Cartersville home, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He also is ordered to pay her $57,000.
Larios Perez was sentenced to two years, six months in prison for driving at least six of the women to areas where they performed sex acts. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also charged him with making false statements to law enforcement by telling authorities that one of the women in his car was a family member. Larios Perez also must pay $3,600.
All four men will have three years of supervised release once they are out of prison, officials said.
