The victims told law enforcement officials Edgar Botello, 30, and his mother would threaten them if they refused and even witnessed “violence and weapons at the bar and in the back area where the sex acts occurred.”
A Houston family has been charged with sex trafficking after forcing waitresses working at a bar to engage in commercial sex acts for more than a decade.
Maria Botello, 54, her two children Edgar Botello and Yudy Lucatero, 28 and 31, respectfully and her nephew Arian Botello, 23 are accused of coordinating a sex trafficking operation from 2007 to 2020 at Houston bar Puerto Allegre, according to the U.S. attorney s office. The victims allegedly include adults and a minor.
Maria Botello coordinated with clients, who paid $70 for every 15 minutes with the girls, according to the criminal complaint, while Edgar Botello and Arian Botello were the enforcers who used weapons and intimidation to keep the victims compliant.
A middle-aged Houston mom, two of her adult children and a nephew have been accused of sex trafficking crimes victimizing waitresses at the Puerto Alegre bar in the city.
Mother, son, daughter and nephew accused of sex trafficking arrested in Houston
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HOUSTON – Four people have been arrested and charged in connection with sex trafficking crimes in the Houston area.
Maria Botello, 54, Edgar Botello, 28, Arian Botello, 23 and Yudy Lucatero, 31, were all charged with sex trafficking after a criminal complaint was filed against them.
According to the complaint, Maria Botello and her family members engaged in the crime from 2007 through 2020. The group would coerce waitresses working at the Puerto Alegre bar in Houston into engaging in commercial sex acts, according to documents.
The charges state Maria Botello would coordinate with clients to set them with girls and would charge $70 for 15 minutes. Her son Edgar Botello and her nephew Arian Botello would act as enforcers and use weapons and threats to make sure the victims were compliant, according to the documents.