The defendant, Ruben Andre Garcia, has engaged in coercion, force and fraud to sexual exploit women with commercial acts. Between 2013 and 2019, he recruited young women to participate in commercial sex act videos, which were later posted on pornography websites, GirlsDoPorn (GDP), GirlsDoToys (GDT), and PornHub, without the women’s consent. He convinced the women usually stating that the material would not be posted online or be broadcasted within the U.S. or that it is not possible for someone who they knew to see the content. Several other co-conspirators (Michael James Pratt, Matthew Isaac Wolfe, Theodore Wilfred Gyi, Valorie Moser, and others) participated in the sex trafficking conspiracy. The defendant, and a co-conspirator (Pratt), which also aided and abbetted in the recruitment of women, posted fake advertisements on Craiglist(an online advertisement website) for modelling jobs. In order to convince the victims who contacted the advertisement, all the defentants hired another women upon a fee, and if the victim agreed to be filmed, they made sure to further convince her by saying that the material would not be broadcasted online. Even though the victims complained because of painful sexual acts, the defendants continued filming in most situations through coercion, threat and force.

“One of the victims (B.E., a minor) went missing in June 2005. The legal guardian of the victim notified the authorities of her disappearance. On her return, in August 2005, the victim reported that she was sexually exploited in a Bucharest apartment by a network of human traffickers.It was further established that the victim was recruited while being present in the apartment owned by the defendant, H.S. The investigations showed that H.S. used to personally or via other persons recruit young local women who were jobless and transport them to France where they would be handed over to other persons for sexual exploitation. It was also shown that in the period 2003-2007, the defendant attracted into his entourage girls, aged between 14 and 17, from both the city and the countryside, usually students at different Barlad highschools. He would attract them with the purpose of sexually exploiting them by having intercourse with him or other persons that would offer him certain benefits in return. The defendant would use for perpetuating this activity an apartment he owned in the town of Barlad. The apartment was equipped with electronic devices (i.e. computers, photo and recording cameras) for producing pornographic material that would subsequently be used for blackmailing the girls (if they refused the advances or propositions made by H.S., he would threaten them with publicly exposing those images on the internet or to their parents or colleagues). The recruitment of the girls would be made either by the defendant personally by simply approaching them while in public places, either by participating and endorsing as a member of the jury beauty pageants, or via already recruited girls who would introduce him to their female friends.” (White&Case LLP & UNODC).

The victim and a friend traveled from Ontario to Quebec to meet some new people, including Jamie BYRON who paid and arranged for their travels. The victim was introduced to BYRON when she arrived in Quebec and stayed with him in an apartment with other individuals. The victim was lured in with the “lover boy” modus operandi, thinking that BYRON wanted to have a romantic relationship. The victim’s friend was able to leave, but the victim remained as she did not have money to return home. BYRON soon after told the victim that she belonged to him and would be working for him. The victim told BYRON she was only 17 years old and tried to resist; as a result, the victim was threatened and physically assaulted. BYRON intentionally damaged the victim’s identification documents and forced the victim to provide sexual services to a man for money. BYRON made this arrangement and kept the money the victim earned. The victim was subsequently moved throughout various cities in Quebec and Ontario over a two-month period during which time she was prostituted by BYRON and forced to have sex for money with more than 100 men.

Covering the period between July 2008 and April 2009, at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, the defendants in question knowingly and willfully recruited, transported, harbored, provided or received nine women from various cities of Philippines, by exercising of fraud, deception, or taking advantage of their vulnerability. Some victims were promised to work as assistants in parts of the philipines or similar types of jobs overseas, but then later were coerced to proceed with cybersex work. Some of the victims agreed to this work. The victims were provided the necessary equipment such as computers, established and secure internet connection in which they were requested to cater to the needs of their online guests within the chatrooms. In exchange of their performances, the cybersex performers were paid a salary of PHP 15.000 per month. They also had to engage in prostitution or pornography. If the victims broke internal rules, they were coerced with threats upon them made by the defendants.