Woman Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking in Houston Cantina
HOUSTON, Texas – Maria Botello-Morales, a 57-year-old Mexican national living in Houston, was sentenced to 280 months in prison for her role in sex trafficking women in a Houston cantina.
Botello-Morales was convicted of sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion, and sex trafficking of a minor. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Botello-Morales ran a cantina called Puerto Algre with her son, Edgar Adrian Botello, from 2015 to 2020. The cantina was used as a front for sex trafficking, with women being forced to engage in commercial sex in backrooms built specifically for that purpose.
The victims reported that they were threatened and intimidated with violence if they refused to engage in commercial sex. Some witnesses reported seeing violence and weapons at the bar and in the back area where the sex acts occurred.
Botello-Morales’s son, Edgar Adrian Botello, 31, was also sentenced to 180 months in prison for his role in the sex trafficking operation. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion, two counts of sex trafficking of adults, and possession of child pornography.
Both Maria Botello-Morales and Edgar Adrian Botello will be subject to supervised release after their prison terms are completed. Maria Botello-Morales will also face removal proceedings following her imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani praised the hard work of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in bringing Botello-Morales and her son to justice.
“Cantina cases shine a light on a unique form of trafficking where mostly undocumented women are sexually exploited for the financial benefit of the traffickers,” said Hamdani. “These individuals stole the American dream from the victims. This form of trafficking takes advantage of the fear these victims live in and we are grateful for the hard work of our law enforcement partners in bringing them justice.”
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Human Trafficking|Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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