FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CRT

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2007 (202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888

Three Mexican Nationals Indicted in

South Carolina Sex Trafficking Case
WASHINGTON – Three Mexican nationals were indicted yesterday for sex
trafficking and related crimes, Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim of the Civil
Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Reginald I. Lloyd of the District of South
Carolina announced.

According to the 20-count indictment, Jesus Perez-Laguna, Guadalupe Reyes-

Rivera a.k.a. “Mama Martina,” and Ciro Bustos-Rosales violated federal law by
conspiring between November 2006 and March 2007 to bring Mexican women into
South Carolina for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex. The indictment
alleges that in at least one instance the victim was 14 years old. The indictment also
charges the defendants with various immigration violations including the harboring
of illegal aliens.

“Too often, sex traffickers prey on young women who are brought into the United
States illegally, thousands of miles from home, and unaware of the U.S. legal
system or their rights to be free from this form of involuntary servitude,” said
Assistant Attorney General Kim.

“The Justice Department takes these charges very seriously and is committed to
prosecuting those who exploit vulnerable young women lured into this country with
false promises of a better life,” added U.S. Attorney Lloyd.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of up to life in prison,

and a combined fine of over $1 million.

An indictment is an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and

until proven guilty.

The Attorney General has made the prosecution of human trafficking crimes a top
priority. In the last six fiscal years, the Civil Rights Division, in conjunction with
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, has increased by six-fold the number of human trafficking
cases filed in court.

The case was investigated by special agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and investigators with the
Columbia (S.C.) Police Department. The case is being jointly prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark C. Moore and Tara L. McGregor, and Civil Rights
Division Trial Attorney Ryan McKinstry.

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