Middlesex County man sentenced to 26 years for sex trafficking

A Middlesex County man has been sentenced to nearly 26 years in federal prison for trafficking women for prostitution, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Jose Torres, 46, was previously convicted of four counts of a second superseding indictment following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti, who imposed the 311-month prison sentence Wednesday in Newark federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Torres also was sentenced to 15 years of supervised release and a $5,000 special assessment for trafficking.

According to the court documents and trial evidence, between May 2015 and October 2019 Torres persuaded, induced and enticed women, often commercial sex workers, to travel from out of state locations, including Canada and New York, to engage in prostitution with him.

In each instance, Torres trolled prostitution websites and targeted out-of-state sex workers and lured them to New Jersey with promises of large payouts. Once the women were in New Jersey, Torres refused to pay and when the women asked for the money Torres became aggressive, often assaulting and raping the victims, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.