United States v. Mirna Valenzuela

MEMORANDUM

This appeal is from a month-long sex-trafficking and immigration trial. The jury found all five defendants guilty of conspiracy, sex-trafficking, and transportation of persons for purposes of prostitution. Testimony at trial recounted that appellants and co-conspirators recruited impoverished minors and young women from their home country of Guatemala with promises of well-paying jobs in the United States. A minority of the girls who testified expected to work in prostitution for a brief time to pay off their smuggling debts. Appellants and co-conspirators arranged for the girls’ travel and paid the smugglers for the girls upon arrival in the United States. Appellants then forced the girls to work for them as prostitutes, using threats of force and witchcraft against the girls and their families, brutal physical and sexual violence, economic and social dependence, as well as lock and key to keep the girls from running away. After receiving a tip from a driver working for the appellants, the FBI began an investigation ultimately resulting in the arrest of nine co-conspirators. Four reached plea agreements; five went to trial and now appeal both their convictions and…