TEXAS CITY — Following a Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance investigation carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and the Houston Police Department, a Houston man pleaded guilty to several s*x trafficking crimes and possession of child pornography on February 27.
Edgar Botello, 30, was found guilty by a judge in the Southern District of Texas of conspiring to traffic in sex, engaging in s*x trafficking using coercion, deception, or force, and possessing child pornography.
Botello ran a cantina called Puerto Alegre with his mother, Maria Botello-Morales, where they coerced a number of women into having commercial s*x in the back rooms.
In his plea agreement, Botello acknowledged using violence and threats to coerce the victims into performing s*x acts for his own financial gain.
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The victims said that they began their employment at Puerto Alegre as waitresses. But, Botello-Morales forced them to participate in commercial s*x by acting as her enforcer and spokesperson and using Botello. She threatened them with violence if they didn’t comply. The women claimed Botello threatened them occasionally and always carried a gun
Some of the victims saw fighting and the use of weapons at the bar and in the room where the s*x acts took place in the back. Each person described having to escort consumers to the back rooms. They received a condom that was paper towel-wrapped, and they were to spend fewer than 15 minutes in the room and charge approximately $70. Upon leaving, they had to turn the money over to Botello or the person guarding the room.
On April 1, 2021, law enforcement personnel searched Botello’s home. In addition to several firearms, they also discovered a computer with child pornography in his room.
Botello will be sentenced on June 12. For his convictions for s*x trafficking and possession of child pornography, he could receive a sentence of up to life in prison and 10 years.
Botello will be held in detention until his sentence is given.
For her part in the s*x trafficking conspiracy, Botello-Morales entered a guilty plea on January 30. She is still being held in detention as she awaits sentencing.
Sherri L. Zack, an assistant US attorney, is in charge of the prosecution.
Follow @HSIHouston on Twitter for additional updates and news on HSI Houston’s initiatives to combat child exploitation and s*x trafficking in Southeast Texas.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) primary investigative division, HSI, is in charge of looking into threats and transnational crime, particularly those criminal groups who prey on the worldwide networks that facilitate international travel, trade, and finance.
The more than 8,700 people employed by HSI are divided between more than 6,000 special agents stationed in 93 sites abroad in 56 countries and 237 cities around the United States. One of the biggest worldwide footprints in U.S. law enforcement, HSI’s presence abroad is the greatest investigative law enforcement presence outside of DHS.
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