Kat Torres, a former Brazilian model and fitness influencer based in the US, was found guilty of human trafficking and slavery. The investigation started in 2022 after it was discovered that two women who lived with Torres were missing. She has now been sentenced to 8-year jail for trafficking and enslaving one of the women. Additionally, accusations have been brought against her in connection with another woman, the BBC World Service informs.
Since then, a number of victims have come forward with claims that the influencer, who was formerly linked to celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio, trafficked and sold them into slavery.
In an interview with the BBC, the women stated that they were drawn to her narrative of transformation from an impoverished Brazilian area to a wealthy society surrounded by Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Ana described her response when she came across Torres’ Instagram profile in 2017 and told BBC Eye Investigations and BBC News Brazil, “She kind of resembled hope for me.” Ana claimed that she was especially impressed by Torres’ outlook on spirituality.
Recently, Torres released her autobiography, A Voz (The Voice), wherein she alleged to have supernatural abilities that allowed her to make predictions. Ana found everything believable because Torres appeared on magazine covers and was spotted with celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio.
Torres eventually created a wellness website. Videos on self-help topics included hypnosis, meditation, fitness regimens and guidance on relationships, health and economic success. Clients could have private one-on-one video sessions with Torres for an additional $150, during which she claimed to be able to address any problem clients had.
Another former customer, Amanda, told the BBC that Torres gave her a sense of specialness. She informed the news organisation that she discussed all of her decisions and uncertainties with Torres so that they could come to a conclusion as a team.
But according to Ana, Amanda and other ex-followers, they noticed that they were becoming more and more psychologically cut off from their loved ones and were prepared to adhere to Torres’ directions.
Torres hired Ana, a nutrition student in Boston, as a live-in helper for $2,000 per month. She was responsible for cooking, cleaning and tending to Torres’ pets. However, upon her arrival, she discovered the property to be unsanitary and had to settle for sleeping on a couch that was soaked with cat urine.
Ana never received compensation for her job, despite her best attempts. “Now, I see that she was using me as a slave… she had satisfaction in it,” Ana told BBC.
Following Ana’s escape, Torres employed Desirre and Leticia for what was meant to be a life coaching retreat. Soon, they relocated to her Texas home. According to Desirre, Torres had informed her she’d become suicidal and in need of Desirre’s help, so Torres had purchased her an airline ticket from Germany.
Desirre was coerced by Torres to work at a nearby strip club, with the threat that she would be forced to pay back all of the money she had spent on her, including airfare, lodging, bedroom furnishings and even the “witchcraft” Torres had done. Desirre claimed that not only did she not have this money, but she also at the time believed in the supernatural abilities Torres claimed to possess.
For these reasons, Desirre added that she was afraid whenever Torres warned to curse her for disobeying her commands.Desirre eventually consented to become a stripper.
The women told the BBC that Torres had access to all of their information, which made them fearful. According to bank documents obtained by the BBC, Desirre made a single payment of more than $21,000 into Torres’ account in June and July of 2022.
In September, Desirre and Leticia’s friends and relatives in Brazil initiated social media initiatives to find them after months of no communication.
Ana, who lived with Torres in 2019, said that the news items raised red flags. She claimed that she knew right away that “[Torres] was keeping other girls.” Ana started contacting law enforcement organisations, including the FBI, along with other ex-clients in an effort to have the influencer taken into custody.
The investigator who interrogated Torres, Desirre and Leticia told the BBC that he and the other investigators had been alarmed right away because they had noticed several warning signs, such as reluctance to talk without Torres’ consent.
The BBC team received a court order in April of this year to speak with Torres while she was incarcerated in Brazil. She told the news channel that she was totally innocent and denied ever having lived with any women or forced anybody to engage in prostitution.
A Brazilian judge has now sentenced Torres to eight years in jail for enslaving and trafficking Desirre. Torres has been accused of defrauding or taking advantage of more than 20 women. In Brazil, an inquiry into the charges made by other women is still underway.
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