Orlando couple arrested for trafficking victims after bailing them out of jail, MBI says
A man and woman from Orlando are facing human trafficking charges for targeting victims by sometimes bonding them out of jail in exchange for performing sexual acts with customers, according to a news release from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation.
On Wednesday, the agency arrested Joselito Martinez-Gonzalez, 34, and Tanya Wurster, 30, for trafficking at least three women throughout Central Florida between 2019 and 2021, according to the release.
The agency said Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster would provide the women a place to stay, usually after bonding them out of jail, before advertising them online to customers. Financial records obtained by the MBI indicate Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster took all proceeds from the activity and made as much as $300,000.
The agency said the victims sometimes have the hair shaved off of their heads or would be tattooed for branding purposes, in addition to being subject to threats of violence, as a way of controlling the victims.
According to the news release, Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster had a minor child together that “was often present in the home while the commercial sex dates were occurring.”
Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster were booked into the Orange County Jail and will be facing prosecution from the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
Florida Department of Corrections records show Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster spent three years and 18 months in prison, respectively, for conspiracy to commit organized fraud $50,000 or more as part of an unemployment benefit scam.
The MBI believe there may be additional victims that have not been identified. The agency is asking anyone with information about other victims or the defendants’ to call their office, local law enforcement or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
Victims of human trafficking may reach out to the 24-hour Victim Service Center of Central Florida hotline at 407-500-4325.
