The dark case of influencer Kat Torres, found guilty of human trafficking and slavery

Early July 2024, Brazilian influencer Kat Torres has been sentenced to eight years in prison for human trafficking and slavery. after being found guilty in the disappearance of a young woman.

The investigation against him began after, in September 2022, All traces of the victim and another young woman had been lost. .

It broke loose an intense search by agents police and the FBI in the USA.

What they both had in common, besides being Brazilian, was that they had lived with her .

His first names are Desirrê Freitas and Leticia Maia The first case is the one that led to his conviction behind bars.

However, also Further investigations are ongoing. on the complaints of other women.

To bring her to justice, The participation of Ana, his former assistant and disciple, was essential in the development expert reports.

Torres had positioned himself as a phenomenon in social networks – accumulated over a million followers on Instagram – and hung out with celebrities and Hollywood stars.

He also published an autobiography titled by voice (Matrix – Urbana, 2017), in which claims he has spiritual powers and can make predictions .

Furthermore, had a personal wellness website in which it offered a subscription service.

“The love, money and self-esteem you’ve always wanted” was the promise. what he did to his potential customers.

He charged An additional $150 for those who want a video call so that he can give advice and be able to “solve” problems of different types.

“It gave me a kind of hope. (…) It seemed like he had overcome the violence he had suffered as a child, the abuse, all these kinds of traumatic experiences (…) He was on the cover of magazines. She was seen with people as famous as Leonardo DiCaprio. Everything I saw seemed credible “, Ana told the BBC .

After being drawn to her story at a time in her life that she described as vulnerable, she became one of his followers .

A common pattern among them was that, little by little, they felt more distant from their loved ones and more willing to obey what they ask towers .

In Ana’s case, in 2019 He left his in-person studies at a Boston university to move to New York with the influencer. . He continued the courses remotely.

The former model had asked him work as his assistant, with the promise that he would earn around $2,000 a month to take care of their animals and do housework.

However, with her, he realized that The residence was not as Torres described it in their networks.

According to Ana, “It was really dirty, filthy and smelly.” .

The tasks were also much more demanding than promised.. Torres demanded that he be available at all times to carry out his orders and he could barely sleep. a few hours a day, in spaces with deplorable conditions.

At the same time, he accuses He never paid her and treated her “like a slave.” .

“She found satisfaction there.” he stressed to the aforementioned media after the discovery of the case.

Ana felt “trapped” and “without a way out” living with Torres. I had no money, I didn’t know where to go and When he tried to confront her, the influencer reacted aggressively .

After three months with her, He was able to leave with a partner and get away from the former model .

When Ana discovered the disappearance of the two young Brazilian girls through news and social media campaigns, He assumed the influencer might be involved .

Until then It was already 2022 and Torres had moved to Austin, Texas with a man named Zach whom she had married.

The residence had five rooms. Just like she did with Ana, she persuaded other of her followers to move in with her. .

Desirrê Freitas, Letícia Maia and a third, also Brazilian, named Sol they did it .

The first told the BBC that Torres had bought her a plane ticket from Germany – the country where she lived – to Austin. He insisted that he had to go because he needed her emotional support. .

The influencer was also accused of persuading Maia to do so an exchange in the United States and then left to live and work with her He was 14 years old when he started his coaching sessions.

For his part, Sol said that accepted his proposal after being homeless .

Freitas reported that Torres pressured her to work in a club striptease and that he had threatened her by telling her that he owed her large sums of money for her travels and her stay.

He even said that He scared her that he was going to curse her. .

A representative of the club confirmed to the aforementioned media that the young woman worked seven days a week in the establishment .

Among the rules that Torres imposed, besides obeying him in everything and giving him all the money, there was the prohibition to speak to each other and to leave the rooms without their permission .

Sol escaped the scene with the help of an ex-partner, after learning that the influencer He told a woman on the phone that she would have to become a prostitute as “punishment.” for his actions.

Later he also persuaded Freitas to engage in sex work, an idea she had rejected. initially.

Since prostitution in Texas is illegal, Torres told her that I would alert the police if he showed any opposition. .

Ana and other former clients of the influencer alerted the authorities when they suspected that it could be the cause of the disappearances.

After realizing that they were being searched and that she was in the crosshairs of the investigations, Torres and the young women left Texas for Maine .

There, The police were able to coordinate a call with the old model.

Before interacting in this way, They recorded statements in which he threatened the young women if they said anything against him. .

Later, in November 2022, The three men went to a police station for questioning. .

Suspicions have intensified In this case, the detective in charge, David Davol, assured the BBC.

A month later, The two young women returned to their native country .

On another side, Torres was arrested and brought to trial who would be found guilty almost two years later by a Brazilian judge in the Desirrê Freitas case.

Even like this, Further investigations are underway due to complaints from other women. .

In his defense, Torres insisted he was innocent, that lies had been told against him and that he did indeed have powers. spiritual.

“People say I’m a fake guru, but at the same time they say ‘she’s dangerous for society because she can change people’s minds with her words’ (…) You choose to believe what you want to believe. I can tell you I’m Jesus. And you can see Jesus or you can see the devil. That’s it. It’s your choice, it’s your mind. ” said the inmate in an interview.