A 53-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced to over 24 years in prison for his role in the sex trafficking of three victims in an Atlanta-based Mexican sex trafficking ring.
Severiano Martinez-Rojas was sentenced on Friday by United States District Judge Edward R. Korman to 294 months in prison for his role in the sex trafficking of three victims.
The defendant is the fourth member of the sex trafficking ring convicted for their roles in compelling young women from Mexico and Central America to engage in commercial sex.
Co-defendants Arturo Rojas-Coyotl and Odilon Martinez-Rojas previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and were sentenced to 16 years and 21 years and 10 months in prison, respectively. Both defendants were also ordered to pay $180,000 in restitution to the victims.
“Human trafficking is disgraceful and unacceptable. Today’s sentence demonstrates the government’s unwavering commitment to combatting these crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband.
“Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that exploits and traumatizes some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.
According to documents filed in court, between 2006 and 2008, the defendant and co-defendants Arturo Rojas-Coyotl and Odilon Martinez-Rojas, lured the three victims into fraudulent romantic relationships using false promises of love, marriage, and legitimate work.
The victims were then smuggled into the United States and forced to perform countless commercial sex acts in the Atlanta area and Alabama, where the defendant also operated a brothel.
The defendant was indicted in May 2013 but had remained a fugitive until his arrest in Mexico in November 2015 as part of a coordinated U.S.-Mexico bilateral enforcement action.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Human Trafficking|Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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