In a pivotal legal battle against human trafficking in the Boston area, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has secured guilty verdicts against a quartet of individuals accused of running a sex trafficking ring. The five-week trial culminated in convictions for Cristina Lasso, Jose Deblas, Marlon Nagano, and Jorge Lasso, as reported by the Attorney General's Office statement earlier today.
The criminal enterprise, operating from October 2018 to July 2019 involved residential brothels in East Boston, Chelsea, Lynn, and the coercive rotation of Central and South American women. According to trial evidence, the women were subjected to daily exploitation, servicing dozens of customers. Cristina Lasso, the operation's leader, directed her accomplices, including Jorge Lasso, Deblas, and Nagano, in recruiting victims, promoting sexual services and managing the logistical aspects of the illicit business. The testimonies and evidence presented in court illuminated a stark landscape of manipulation and financial gains, borne on the backs of those trafficked.
Investigators leveraged an arsenal of physical evidence, pole camera footage, documents, and digital records to build a case strong enough to bring down the traffickers. Their efforts culminated in multiple convictions for each defendant, which included charges of Trafficking Persons for Sexual Servitude, Maintaining a House of Prostitution and Money Laundering. The defendants, now waiting for their sentencing scheduled for May 2, face the legal reckoning for their roles in this heinous scheme.
Prosecutors from the AG's Human Trafficking Division and Environmental Crimes Strike Force, with a team consisting of financial investigators, paralegals, administrative assistants, analysts, and Massachusetts State Police Troopers, worked collaboratively to secure these convictions. Assistant Attorney General Amanda Paull and Michael Anderson were at the forefront, orchestrating the legal strategy that brought the perpetrators to justice. Their relentless pursuit sends a clear message that such egregious violations of human dignity will not be tolerated within our communities.
