ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man and a woman booked this week in Orange County face felony charges in a Central Florida human trafficking case, according to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Joselito Martinez-Gonzalez, 34, and Tanya Wurster, 30, were arrested via warrant on Wednesday by MBI Human Trafficking agents, the agency said in a news release. Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster are accused of trafficking three victims — referred to only as “females” — throughout Central Florida from 2019 to 2021.
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According to the release, the two made a habit of bonding victims out of jail and providing them with a place to live before forcing them to engage in “commercial sex acts with customers” and advertising them online.
Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster would allegedly keep all of the proceeds from the activity, with MBI agents figuring they may have made as much as $300,000 in a two-year period. The pair would employ drugs, threats of violence and “humiliating acts such as shaving the victim’s head” to keep them under control, agents said.
Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster also reportedly had a minor child together who agents said “was often present in the home while the commercial sex dates were occurring,” the release states.
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Martinez-Gonzalez faces three counts of human trafficking, booking records show. He made his first appearance in court Friday, was appointed a public defender and was given a bond total of $45,000, or $15,000 for each count.
Wurster faces three counts of deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, booking records show. For both individuals, records indicate an offense date of Oct. 1, 2019 on all relevant charges, as Martinez-Gonzalez is facing an otherwise unrelated charge of violating probation.
Martinez-Gonzalez and Wurster “were constantly looking for new victims,” agents said in the release. As such, anyone with knowledge of any additional victims is urged to contact MBI, their local law enforcement agency, or Crimeline at 800-423-8477 to remain anonymous.
Victims of traumatic circumstances such as human trafficking are encouraged to reach out to the Victim Service Center of Central Florida (VSC) for crisis intervention, therapy services and other forms of support, according to the release. One can reach the VSC by calling its 24/7 Helpline at 407-500-4325.
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