Woman convicted of human trafficking
Tulare County Superior Court Judge Papadakis Friday sentenced Talia Vasquez, 20, of Patterson, to five years in state prison for human trafficking.
Tulare County Superior Court Judge Papadakis Friday sentenced Talia Vasquez, 20, of Patterson, to five years in state prison for human trafficking.
O n May 30, Vasquez pleaded no contest to a felony count of human trafficking of a minor for a sex act. On that same date Vasquez’s codefendant, Lewis Shaw plead no contest to a felony count of accessory to the same crime.
Shaw will be sentenced on July 14.
In March of 2017, the minor victim ran away from her residence in Stanislaus County. The minor victim believed Vasquez was her friend and willingly came with her to Visalia. Once in Visalia, Vasquez informed the victim she had a good job working as an entrepreneur giving massages to men in motel rooms and encouraged the victim to work with her. Photos taken of the victim led the Visalia Police Department to learn that the minor and Vasquez were at a motel in the city limits.
Visalia Police went to the motel and located the minor with Vasquez and Shaw. Inside the motel room officers located evidence showing that Vasquez intended to have the minor engage in sexual acts with others for money. In addition to her sentence, Vasquez is required to register as a sex offender.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Stacy Plantier of the Crimes against Children Division. It was investigated by Officers Matt Doherty and Andrew Saelee, as well as Lt. Luma Fahoum of the Visalia Police Department; in addition to Investigator Martha Rodriguez of the Office of the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations.