Five convicted in L.A. prostitution case

Five people were convicted for running a prostitution ring that targeted girls from Central America.

According to the Justice Department, four Guatemalan women and one Mexican trafficked ladies to the U.S. and subsequently forced them into prostitution in Los Angeles. The convicted people now face life in prison with a minimum sentence of fifteen years.

During the six-week trial, details emerged of the abuse, exploitation, and shamelessness of those convicted:

The case presented by prosecutors relied heavily on the testimony of 10 young women who said they were forced to work as prostitutes and turn over their pay to the defendants.

Only one woman said she knew she was going to work in the sex trade before arriving in Los Angeles. The others said they were expecting to work as baby sitters, housekeepers, waitresses or in other jobs in which they hoped to earn up to $10 an hour, far more than they could in Guatemala.

Only after they arrived in the U.S., the young women testified, were they told the truth about what they would be doing.

Image- L.A. Now
Online Sources- AP, AFP, Los Angeles Times