Feliciano de Jesus Diaz-Martinez, a 43-year-old Guatemalan national living illegally in Owings Mills, Maryland, was convicted by a federal jury yesterday on charges of sex trafficking of a minor, enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and distribution of a controlled substance. The nine-day trial laid bare a sordid network of exploitation, addiction, and violence that spanned from 2016 to May 2019.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron; HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso; Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa R. Hyatt; and State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger announced the guilty verdict. Diaz-Martinez has remained in custody since his indictment on July 25, 2019, after federal prosecutors unraveled a criminal enterprise built on the bodies and desperation of vulnerable victims.
At trial, evidence revealed that Diaz-Martinez, also known as Alex, manipulated more than eight individuals—many of them minors or struggling with severe substance abuse—into performing commercial sex acts for his profit. He knew Victim 1 was just 16 when he first forced her into prostitution. She remained under his control until she turned 18. Nearly every victim suffered from addiction to heroin, crack cocaine, or Xanax—conditions Diaz-Martinez exploited to maintain control.
He used multiple fake social media accounts to recruit victims he’d never met, offering drugs—referred to as “boy” and “girl”—in exchange for sex with his customers. He set prices, sent photos of victims, and arranged transportation to hotel rooms, private homes, his own apartment, and even a rented storage unit where sex acts occurred. He took half or all of the money his victims earned and sold them narcotics at inflated rates.
Victims testified that Diaz-Martinez demanded free sex from them and retaliated violently when unsatisfied. Discipline included abandonment on roadsides without belongings or transportation, and withholding drugs from those in active addiction. He also forced victims to recruit their friends—many already hooked on narcotics—further expanding his trafficking ring.
Diaz-Martinez now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution. For each of four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, he faces 15 years to life. The count for distribution of a controlled substance carries a maximum of 20 years. Sentencing is pending.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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