HOUSTON – A 56-year-old woman who illegally resided in Houston has pleaded guilty to several sex trafficking crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Maria Botello-Morales admitted to sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion and conspiracy to do so as well as sex trafficking of a minor.
“Sex trafficking takes many forms. Violators can be male or female, young or old.” Hamdani said. “Trafficking is as diverse as the population of this district, and we will work side by side with our partners and continue to root out this evil that is nothing less than a scourge on our society.”
Botello-Morales had recruited a minor female in 2007 from Mexico. Botello-Morales caused the minor to engage in commercial sex and took payment directly from the commercial sex buyers.
Botello-Morales also ran Puerto Algre from 2015 to 2020. Puerto Algre was a cantina where several females were forced to engage in commercial sex in backrooms built specifically for that purpose. Botello-Morales and others threatened and intimidated these victims with violence to manipulate them into engaging in commercial sex for her personal financial benefit.
The victims reported they had started at the bar as waitresses. However, Botello-Morales soon told them they had to engage in commercial sex. If they refused, she threatened them with violence.
Some witnessed violence and weapons at the bar and in the back area where the sex acts occurred. Each described how they had to take customers to the...
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