3 Indicted in International Sex Trafficking Ring

Three men from Mexico have been formally charged in an international sex trafficking ring that took place in Norcross and Atlanta.

According to a news release, 26-year-old Arturo Rojas-Coyotl and his two uncles Odilon Martinez-Rojas, 41, and Severiano Martinez-Rojas, 48, all from Mexico, were indicted by the United States Attorney's Office on charges of sex trafficking and alien harboring.

A fourth man, Daniel Garcia-Tepal, a 28-year-old also from Mexico, was charged with encouraging and inducing aliens to enter and reside in the U.S. unlawfully.

The charges and information presented in court state that Rojas-Coyotl and his uncles used force, fraud and coercion to compel three women from Mexico and Guatemala to engage in prostitution in Atlanta and Norcross. These incidents occurred at various times between 2006 and 2008.

Garcia-Tepal and Rojas-Coyotl also are charged with encouraging and inducing a fourth woman to unlawfully enter and remain in the U.S. between 2010 and 2013.

Special agents of the FBI and ICE Homeland Security Investigations arrested Rojas-Coyotl, Odilon Martinez-Rojas and Garcia-Tepal in a law enforcement sweep Tuesday.

Severiano Martinez-Rojas remains a fugitive and is believed to be in Mexico. The FBI will coordinate with its legal attaché in Mexico City to affect his arrest and subsequent extradition back to the U.S. Four search warrants also were executed Tuesday in Atlanta and Norcross in conjunction with the arrests.

All men were scheduled for arraignment Tuesday. Each sex trafficking charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison while each alien harboring charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, with all counts carrying a fine of up to $250,000 each.

In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

“Sex trafficking is a malicious crime whether the victims are American citizens or foreign nationals,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates of the Northern District of Georgia in the news release. “The defendants are charged with preying on young women from Mexico and Guatemala, smuggling them into the United States under false pretenses, and forcing them into prostitution. U.S. laws protect all trafficking victims, and we will prosecute those who engage in this practice.” 

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