Mexican national, family members sent to jail for sex trafficking women in backroom of Houston cantina

A Mexican national illegally residing in Houston and a family member have been sentenced following their convictions for several sex trafficking crimes, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced.

Maria Botello-Morales, 57, and her son Edgar Adrian Botello, 31, Houston, pleaded guilty in 2023.

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now sentenced Botello-Morales to 280 months in prison, while Botello received a total of 180 months. The refund will be determined at a later date. Botello-Morales is not a U.S. citizen and is expected to undergo removal proceedings following her imprisonment, while Botello will serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison sentence. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to limit his access to children and the Internet. Both will also be ordered to register as sex offenders.

“Cantina cases shed light on a unique form of human trafficking, in which undocumented women in particular are sexually exploited for the traffickers’ financial benefit,” Hamdani said. “These individuals stole the American dream from the victims. This form of human trafficking takes advantage of the fear these victims live in and we are grateful for the hard work of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to bring them justice.”

“TABC is proud to work with the Office of the US Attorney and our other partners in the effort to end human trafficking in Texas,” said TABC President Kevin J. Lilly. “We join our fellow Texans in denouncing this heinous crime and reaffirming our commitment to help free victims of human trafficking.”

At the time of the plea, Botello-Morales admitted to sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and conspiracy thereto, as well as sex trafficking of a minor. Botello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, two counts of adult sex trafficking and possession of child pornography.

In 2007, Botello-Morales recruited an underage woman from Mexico. She arranged for the minor to engage in commercial sex and received payment directly from the commercial sex buyers.

Botello-Morales ran Puerto Algre with Botello and others from 2015 to 2020. Puerto Algre was a cantina where countless women were forced to engage in commercial sex in back rooms built specifically for that purpose. Botello-Morales, Botello and others violently threatened and intimidated these victims to manipulate them into commercial sex for their own financial benefit.

The victims reported that they started as waitresses at the bar. However, Botello-Morales soon told them that they had to engage in commercial sex. If they refused, she threatened them with violence.

Some witnessed violence and weapons at the bar and in the back area where the sex acts took place. Each described how they had to take customers to the back rooms through a door hidden from view of the bar. They were given a condom wrapped in a paper towel, allowed to spend no more than 15 minutes in the room, and charged about $70. On the way out, they had to hand the money over to whoever was guarding the room.

During the investigation, a victim also explained that when she refused to come to work, Botello-Morales sent someone to physically assault her.

The victims explained that Botello, who regularly carried a gun, was the enforcer. He would also hand out the condoms and collect the money. While executing a search warrant at the home Botello-Morales and Botello shared, police found several loaded firearms in his room, along with a computer containing child pornography.

Another co-conspirator, Esteban Toribio, 65, Houston, pleaded guilty June 17 and held the bar’s liquor license. Toribio reported the behavior to authorities in an effort to help him gain control of the cantina. Also convicted in connection with the conspiracy was Arian Botello, 26, Botello-Morales’ cousin.

Both will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prison facility to be determined in the near future.

TABC and HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department (HPD) as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack prosecuted the case.

HTRA law enforcement includes members of the HPD; FBI; HSI; Office of the Texas Attorney General; IRS criminal investigation; Department of Labor (DOL); DOL – Wage and hour division; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Federal Air Marshals; TABC; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Rangers; Texas Parks and Wildlife; Social Security Administration – OIG; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation; Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and police departments in Houston Independent School District (ISD), Conroe ISD and Missouri City; Harris County Constable Offices – Precincts One and Four; Sheriff’s offices in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria and Waller counties in coordination with the district attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and Galveston counties. They work with victim services such as YMCA, United Against Human Trafficking and Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners.

Founded in 2004, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston established HTRA to combine resources with federal, state, and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as nongovernmental service organizations, to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those whose traffickers have fallen victim. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model for identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those involved in human trafficking.