A convicted human trafficker was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Florida Attorney General Ashey Moody released a statement about her effort to ensure the long sentence.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today secured a 55-year prison sentence for a human trafficker in Orange County. According to the law enforcement investigation, Joselito Martinez trafficked three women in the Orlando area, using violence and fear to keep the victims under control—including cutting one victim’s hair off as punishment and branding the woman with tattoos.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This human trafficker victimized three women, using violence to force them into sex work. He even branded one victim with tattoos, and forcibly cut her hair as punishment. Thanks to the help of our law enforcement partners and our Statewide Prosecutors, this vile man will remain behind bars for a long, long time.”
According to the investigation, Martinez trafficked three women, forcing the victims into sex work through violence. Martinez recruited one victim from a dating app, and after meeting the victim for the first time, convinced the woman to move in with promises of drugs and money. After the victim moved in, Martinez forced the woman into sex work. Through this victim, Martinez came into contact with two other women, then subsequently forced these victims into sex work as well.
Martinez kept control of the women’s phones and money. Martinez forbade the victims from contacting anyone that Martinez did not approve of and punished one victim by cutting the woman’s hair. Martinez also branded that same victim, forcing the woman to get tattoos saying “I belong to myself and Jay,” as well as get a tattoo on the pelvis region that said the victim had a certain disease.
The court found Martinez guilty of two counts of human trafficking for commercial sexual activity, one count of deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device and one count of tampering with a witness or victim. The judge sentenced Martinez to 55 years in prison.
Attorney General Moody’s OSP handled the case.
