WORCESTER, MA – A husband and wife from Worcester, Massachusetts, were each sentenced to 18 years in federal prison Wednesday after being convicted of sex trafficking a younger family member across four New England states.
Kiersten Soto, 32, and Moises Soto, 33, were arrested in 2022 and convicted in September on one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Kiersten Soto was also convicted of one count of traveling or using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activities.
Prosecutors said between February and May 2022, the couple advertised the victim to sex buyers online and trafficked her in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The victim was a younger relative of the defendants.
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced both to 18 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. The Sotos were also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $138,000 in mandatory restitution to the victim.
According to the U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office, Kiersten Soto regularly threatened the victim with violence, abandonment, and involuntary commitment to a facility if she did not comply. Moises Soto used physical violence against the victim when she failed to earn enough money, prosecutors said.
Investigators said the couple recorded the abuse. Videos obtained during the investigation showed them cornering the victim in their home, threatening and berating her while she endured drug withdrawals, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The case was investigated by federal authorities and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Massachusetts.
