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Three illegal immigrants in Louisiana allegedly ran a sex trafficking ring and offered a “menu” of women to potential clients as young as 18 using WhatsApp, federal prosecutors allege.
Officials said Zaira Lopez-Oliva, Kirsis Castellanos-Kirington and Jesus Lopez, known as “El Perro,” were arrested in October after running a sex trafficking ring in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
A source initially tipped off the FBI with screenshots from WhatsApp from El Perro, who sent pictures of scantily clad women who were available for sex acts, according to court documents. Prosecutors allege that the women were forced to have sex with men, who paid anywhere from $40 to $60.
Both Castellanos-Kirington and Lopez-Oliva allegedly helped Lopez with several aspects of the sex trafficking operation.
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Prosecutors said Lopez-Oliva helped Lopez transport victims to and from the New Orleans Airport. In one surveillance video screenshot shared by the Department of Justice, prosecutors said Lopez-Oliva was seen inside a pickup truck with Lopez near the New Orleans Airport.
Castellanos-Kirington and Lopez-Oliva both helped Lopez “maintain the operation” at the two locations in Baton Rouge when he was unable to, the documents state.
The complaint detailed that clients of the sex trafficking ring were anywhere from 18 to 60 years old.
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When federal agents raided the house where the operation was based, one of the victims said she was in financial trouble and got Lopez’s contact information from a friend, prosecutors said. She was allegedly informed when she arrived in Louisiana that she’d be performing sex acts for male clients. Two of the victims interviewed were also illegal immigrants.
The female victim allegedly told prosecutors that she wouldn’t be paid at all on Mondays and Tuesdays, and would only get to keep $20 if a client paid $40, with the rest going to Lopez.
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One of the victims also told investigators that she “was not allowed to leave or tell anyone what she was doing,” and if she told anyone, Lopez would “kill her.”
All three suspects are charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion as well as aiding and abetting.
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