A woman behind a 14-defendant sex trafficking ring operating in Houston, Texas, has been ordered to federal prison for life, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson for the Southern District of Texas along with Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner for the FBI Houston Division, Special Agent in Charge Brian Moskowitz of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) and Special Agent in Charge Richard Goss of IRS-Criminal Investigation (CI).
A federal jury convicted Hortencia Medeles-Arguello, aka Raquel Medeles Garcia, Raquel Medeles Garcia or Tencha, 68, on April 24, 2015, following a 10-day trial and approximately four hours of deliberations. She was convicted on all counts – conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to harbor aliens, aiding and abetting to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
This landmark sex trafficking case is one of the most significant in scope and magnitude to be tried to a verdict of guilty on all counts and one of the few in which as many as 12 victims of an international sex trafficking scheme came forward to testify at trial. Twelve victims rescued in connection with this case testified at trial regarding the horrors of their ordeals, beginning with being recruited in their home countries, only to be forced into prostitution against their will in the United States. Some victims were as young as 14 when the traffickers recruited them, using fraud and false pretenses to lure them into the traffickers’ control.
“The importance of this case cannot be underscored,” said U.S. Attorney Magidson. “These were human beings – women and children – who were treated as a commodity. They came from their home countries hoping for a better life, only to be enslaved and forced into unspeakable acts. This is a local, national and international issue, but also a humanitarian issue. We will continue to take action against these egregious offenders and seek to obtain the stiffest penalties in order to send a clear message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in this district.”
Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner for the Southern District of Texas, who presided over the trial, handed Tencha a sentence of life in federal prison. At the hearing, additional testimony from six of the victims was also presented. They asked the judge to punish the defendant for the impact she had on their lives.
In addition, 15 real properties and other assets for a value of about $2.5 million will be forfeited to the United States having been found to have been purchased with sex trafficking proceeds. The funds will be used to make restitution to the victims of this horrible crime.
“Let this sentence send a message that lives are not to be bought and sold,” said Special Agent in Charge Turner. “The Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) seeks to rescue those forced into this modern day slavery and hold accountable those who wish to profit from the abuse of others. If you have information about human trafficking, we urge you to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.”
Related Federal Cases
- Jonathan Smith-Byrd, Sex Trafficking, Texas 2024 · Arkansas
- Larry Odell Lewis, Sex Trafficking, Texas 2023 · Arkansas
- Michael Anthony Gonzalez, Sex Trafficking, Texas 2023 · Arkansas
- Christopher Jabar Jenkins, Sex Trafficking, Texas 2025 · Arkansas
- Demetrius Hunter, Sex Trafficking, Georgia 2023 · Alaska
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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