United States/ Mexico: Oaxacan Couple Sentenced to 20 Years Prison for Sexual Exploitation

On May 21, 2013 Criterio Hidalgo reported that a San Diego court has sentenced a married couple from Oaxaca, Mexico to 20 years prison for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Marcial García Hernández and Ines Garcia Martinez were found guilty of sexually exploiting their niece, Isabel. The girl, now 24 years old, had been brought to San Diego as a child after her aunt and uncle promised to help her study and work in the United States. When the girl contacted the police in 2001 following a severe beating, authorities returned her to Mexico without investigating the other abuses. However, Isabel returned to San Diego in 2008 to denounce the couple. While they received a reduced sentence for pleading guilty, a law passed this year in California permits the confiscation of the couple’s possessions, or the proceeds from the sale thereof, which will then be handed over to the victim. Read Article