Worcester couple trafficked young relative, gets 18 years

• Posted by Worcester News Feb 5 - Filed in News - #Worcester  #Federal court  - 3,935 views

  
  
  

  A Worcester husband and wife who sexually trafficked a young relative across 4 New England states were recently sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, prosecutors announced Wednesday

  Kiersten Soto, 32, and Moises Soto, 33, were sentenced on January 23rd by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 18 years behind bars, followed by 5 years of supervised release. The couple was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $138,000 in mandatory restitution to the victim, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

  The Sotos were convicted in September 2025 following a 6-day jury trial of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Prosecutors said the crimes involved the sexual exploitation of a younger relative. Kiersten Soto was also convicted of traveling or using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity.

  Evidence at trial showed that from February through May 2022, the couple used violence, threats and manipulation to traffic the victim for commercial sex in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Prosecutors said the victim was advertised on a website to sex buyers throughout New England.

  Authorities said Kiersten Soto repeatedly threatened the victim with violence, abandonment and involuntary commitment to a facility. Moises Soto used extreme physical violence, including beatings, assaults with wooden dowel rods and choking, if the victim failed to earn enough money.

  Videos recovered from the defendants’ cell phones showed the couple cornering the victim in their Worcester home, threatening and berating her while she suffered severe drug withdrawal symptoms, prosecutors said.

  “Kiersten and Moises Soto built their so-called livelihood off of brutality and control,” U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a statement following the conviction. “The Sotos compounded their cruelty by recording the abuse — immortalizing the victim’s trauma for their own depraved purposes.”

  The couple was arrested and indicted in December 2022. Federal prosecutors noted that sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison.

  Michael J. Krol, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, said the case was investigated with assistance from the Worcester Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and Marlborough Police Department.

  “With these 2 traffickers brought to justice, a victim is now free from exploitation and on the path to healing,” Krol said.