Former Brazilian model Kat Torres, now a wellness influencer on Instagram, has received an eight-year prison sentence. This shocking news follows an FBI investigation that found she was involved in human trafficking and slavery. The investigation started in 2022 when two missing women were found living with Torres.
Several of Torres’ followers said they were trafficked and forced into sex work. One woman who was trafficked by Torres told the BBC that she was drawn to her inspiring rags-to-riches story. “She seemed to have overcome childhood violence, abuse, and other traumatic experiences,” Ana shared with the BBC.
She added, “She was on magazine covers and was seen with celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio. Everything I saw seemed believable.”
In 2019, Torres invited Ana to move to New York and be her live-in assistant. At the time, Ana was studying at a university in Boston, so she arranged to study online and accepted the offer. Torres promised to pay Ana $2,000 (₹1.6 lakh) a month to take care of her and her animals.
However, when Ana arrived at the Instagram influencer’s apartment, she faced a harsh reality. The place was messy, dirty, and had a bad smell. Ana said she had to be constantly available for Torres, who couldn’t stand being alone, even for simple tasks like taking a shower.
In a vulnerable position, Ana struggled to sleep on a sofa that was covered in cat urine. Eventually, she escaped from the apartment with the help of her new boyfriend, becoming one of Torres’s first victims of human trafficking.
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