Worcester couple found guilty of sex trafficking relative
A married couple from Worcester was convicted this week of sex trafficking following a six-day trial before a jury in federal court.
Kiersten Soto, 32, and Moises Soto, 33, were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion in connection with the trafficking of a younger relative in their family, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley's office said in a statement. Kiersten Soto was also convicted of one count of traveling or using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activities.
U.S. District Court Judge Margaret Guzman set sentencing for the couple for Dec. 19, 2025.
At trial, prosecutors showed that between February and May 2022, the Sotos "used force, fraud and coercion to traffic the victim for commercial sex" in New England, Foley's office said. The couple used a website to advertise the victim to sex buyers across the region.
Kiersten Soto threatened the victim with violence, abandonment and involuntary commitment to a facility regularly, according to the statement. Moises Soto used extreme violence against the victim if she didn't make enough money, including beatings and assaults.
Videos taken on the couple's phones show them cornering the victim in their home, where they threatened and berated her and called her a snitch. All this took place while the victim went through drug withdrawals, according to the statement.
"Kiersten and Moises Soto built their so-called livelihood off of brutality and control. The Sotos compounded their cruelty by recording the abuse – immortalizing the victim's trauma for their own depraved purposes," Foley said in the statement.
More News
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
