WASINGTON – A federal jury has convicted Amador Cortes-Meza, 36, of Mexico, of multiple charges of sex trafficking and human smuggling offenses related to a scheme to force women and juveniles into prostitution.
The jury found Cortes-Meza guilty on all 19 counts after a trial lasting approximately two weeks, including offenses of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; sex trafficking of minors; conspiracy; importation and harboring of aliens for the purposes of prostitution; and smuggling aliens into the United States.
According to the evidence presented in court, from Spring 2006 through June 2008, Cortes-Meza and others recruited and enticed approximately 10 victims to enter the United States illegally from Mexico and come to the Atlanta area. Cortes-Meza then forced them into prostitution for the financial benefit of the members of the conspiracy.
Cortes-Meza lured the young women and girls to the U.S. by promising better lives, legitimate employment or romantic relationships with him. His brother and two nephews were previously convicted after pleading guilty to sex trafficking charges related to this scheme.
Nine of the victims addressed the court about what they suffered at the hands of this sex trafficking ring, telling of physical threats, beatings, and intimidation which caused them to work as prostitutes against their will. Evidence at trial showed that Cortes-Meza forced the victims to engage in prostitution by isolating them from their families, brutally beating them, and threatening to harm them and their loved ones.
“The exploitation of these vulnerable individuals is a violation of the fundamental rights on which our country was founded, and is intolerable in a nation that prides itself on freedom,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
Cortes-Meza faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The victims who suffered at the hands of this monster can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that justice has been served, said Brock Nicholson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office that oversees the Carolinas and Georgia.”
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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