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Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced on June 22 that seven federal defendants have been sentenced to prison terms for their involvement in the commercial sexual exploitation of a child in Green Lake County, Wisconsin. All seven pled guilty to the charge of Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking.
According to court documents, on multiple dates between June and November 2019, one of the defendants, Julio “Cesar” Veleta Veleta, transported the victim, a 16-year-old girl who was in foster care in Madison, between Dane County and Green Lake County for her to perform commercial sex acts for dairy farm workers. Another defendant, Evis Garcia Rivera, both paid for sex with the victim and promoted her availability for commercial sex within the Guatemalan national farm worker community in Green Lake County. Eventually, the victim began living with Garcia Rivera and several of the other defendants, who would “loan” the victim to other groups of farm workers in the area for her sexual services.
The seven individuals charged in federal court have been sentenced as follows:
Defendant Months Years of
of Prison Supervised
Release
Julio Veleta Veleta, (Age: 36), Sun Prairie, WI 87 5 Evis Garcia Rivera (Age: 33), Manchester, WI 87 5
Avelino Sarceno Sarceno (Age: 42), Manchester, WI 30 5
Samuel Martinez Corado, (Age: 29), Markesan, WI 28 5
Abilio Corado Gonzalez, (Age 37), Markesan, WI 27 5
Belter Arana Bautista, (Age 36), Brandon, WI 24 5
Oscar Martinez Corado, (Age: 21), Markesan, WI 24 5
The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office (GLCSO) uncovered this conspiracy on Thanksgiving night in 2019, when the victim called 911. Several subjects were arrested that night at the house where the victim had been living, while others were arrested in other locations following further investigation.
In a separate action, five additional defendants were prosecuted in Wisconsin Circuit Court by Green Lake County District Attorney Gerise LaSpisa. Four of these defendants, Rolando Corado Gonzalez, Edwin Rivera Salguero, Ember Rivera, Esler Rivera, have pled guilty to exposing genitals to a child and have been sentenced to state prison time, including a year and a half of initial confinement, and two years of extended supervision.
“The convictions and sentences of the defendants in this case are the direct result of the hard work and excellent collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “Along with our partners, we are committed to protecting and supporting victims of human trafficking, and our enforcement efforts necessarily will include not only the primary traffickers but also others who assist in these trafficking efforts, including those who seek to drive the demand for this type of victimization.”
“The sex trafficking of this 16-year-old victim is a serious and disturbing crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle of the FBI Milwaukee Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice and protect the victims of these heinous crimes.”
“The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice those who engage in human trafficking and involuntary servitude, particularly when children are involved,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
“These sentences are reflective of just how damaging crimes against children are and emphasizes HSI’s dedication to hold perpetrators accountable,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago area of operations Sean Fitzgerald. “We, alongside our law enforcement partners, are committed to the eradication of child exploitation from our communities.” “Human trafficking is an appalling violent crime that occurs across our state and the country, and we must continue to fight it,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to the investigators, including DCI agents, and prosecutors who worked to hold the defendants accountable.”
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said, “We are very pleased with the overall outcome of this case. We are hopeful for the victim and their future. The collaboration of the investigating agencies and attorney’s offices was tremendous. I’m incredibly proud of all the work everyone put into this case to pursue justice on behalf of the victim and the community. Clearly, crimes like these have no boundaries, and any community can be impacted.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Security Investigations, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations and the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The federal case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erica J. Lounsberry and Abbey M. Marzick.
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