Unmasking Kat Torres: The Dark Side of an Instagram Influencer Turned Human Trafficker

[00:00:00] The case featured in this episode has been researched using police records, court documents, witness statements, and the news. Listener discretion is advised. All parties mentioned are innocent until proven guilty, and all opinions are my own.

[00:00:34] Hey everyone, my name is Nikki Young and this is Serial Napper, the true crime podcast for naps. I'm back with another true crime story to lull you to sleep or perhaps to give you nightmares.

[00:00:46] In September of 2022, the disappearance of two young Brazilian women sparked a frantic search that spanned across the United States. Their families, along with the FBI, were desperate for answers.

[00:00:59] The only lead they had? The women had been living with a social media influencer named Kat Torres. At Kat's instruction, they would post videos saying that they were fine and just wanted to be left alone.

[00:01:11] But there was so much more to the story that they weren't saying on camera. A story involving witchcraft, slavery, and sex. Now Kat Torres has been sentenced to eight years in prison for human trafficking and enslavement. But she claims that she's innocent of all charges.

[00:01:31] So, how did a former model, once seen partying with Leonardo DiCaprio and gracing the covers of international magazines, go from glamour and fame to exploiting her followers in the most horrific way imaginable?

[00:01:46] You won't believe how it all unfolded. So, dim the lights, put your phone down, and listen as I uncover the chilling truth behind Kat Torres' descent into manipulation and trafficking.

[00:02:01] One that left a trail of broken lives and shattered trust. So, let's jump right in.

[00:02:08] Kat Torres grew up in the city of Belém, Brazil. She was born on October 24, 1992, in a very impoverished family with an alcoholic father who was both physically and emotionally abusive to her, her mother, and her sister.

[00:02:23] When she was a young child, a psychic told her that she had special powers. Powers that would allow her to talk to spirit guides to gain information and knowledge that others didn't know.

[00:02:36] She grew up fully believing that she had this gift that no one else had and that she was born for greatness.

[00:02:45] Kat was constantly told by people around her that she was beautiful and that she should become a model.

[00:02:53] Her family also really needed the extra money, so at just 7 years old, she began taking small modeling jobs and entering beauty pageants.

[00:03:02] It didn't pay much at first, but it was clear that Kat had talent and she was moving up in the beauty world quickly.

[00:03:10] Unfortunately, it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. The world of child beauty pageants can be a dark one.

[00:03:17] And later on in life, Kat would talk in detail about how the adult men in the industry would take advantage of her, abuse her.

[00:03:26] At the time, she didn't tell a soul. She wanted so badly to make it and she didn't want to cause any waves.

[00:03:34] Kat really did have the look.

[00:03:37] And she was scouted by a modeling agency when she was 18 years old who offered to take her to Europe to advance her career.

[00:03:44] The gigs that Brazil had to offer were small.

[00:03:48] If she really wanted to make it in the modeling world, she had to move away from her family for bigger opportunities.

[00:03:55] Kat was also thrilled to just be away from her abusive father, so she jumped at the chance.

[00:04:02] It was the right move.

[00:04:04] Soon, she began appearing in magazines, on runways, and on billboards, often modeling the latest lingerie and swimsuits.

[00:04:12] She had the chance to travel to different shooting locations like Colombia and South Korea.

[00:04:19] At just 20 years old, she became Miss World Brazil.

[00:04:23] She was becoming recognizable in the industry, building a name, and even getting invited to celebrity parties.

[00:04:31] At one point, it was rumored that she was dating Leonardo DiCaprio.

[00:04:36] When asked about it during a local news interview, she denied it, saying that it was just gossip.

[00:04:43] But there were paparazzi photos taken that showed the two together.

[00:04:48] And obviously, we know Leo only likes to date models, so clearly she is this type.

[00:04:55] Either way, this story pushed her towards fame.

[00:04:57] She moved to the U.S., and she began taking acting classes, hoping that she might make it in Hollywood.

[00:05:05] To me, it's kind of shocking that, apparently, she wasn't able to cut it as an actress,

[00:05:12] especially now knowing how good that she was at manipulating people.

[00:05:15] But she wasn't able to get picked up for any of the gigs that she auditioned for.

[00:05:20] That was okay, because she had an even better idea.

[00:05:24] She would build herself a large following and brand on social media, particularly focusing on Instagram.

[00:05:32] At that time, Instagram was still a fairly new app that was growing as a platform that launched influencers.

[00:05:40] Kat built a beautifully curated Instagram feed that was full of motivational quotes

[00:05:45] and the most stunning photos of her, all in different locations all around the world.

[00:05:50] To anyone looking in from the outside, it appeared as if she lived a wonderfully luxurious life.

[00:05:57] It didn't take her long to build over 1 million followers on Instagram.

[00:06:02] Men wanted to date her.

[00:06:04] Women wanted to be her.

[00:06:06] It looked like she was living the dream.

[00:06:09] A life of beauty, glam, travel, and riches.

[00:06:13] What no one really knew at that time was that Kat was funding her lifestyle by working as a sugar baby.

[00:06:21] Now, if you're not familiar with what a sugar baby is,

[00:06:25] Dictionary.com describes it best.

[00:06:28] A sugar baby is a younger person who provides romantic companionship or sexual intimacy

[00:06:34] to a wealthy older person in return for gifts or financial support.

[00:06:39] This wealthy older person would be referred to as a sugar daddy.

[00:06:44] One of Kat's top-paying sugar daddies was rumored to be one of Vladimir Putin's closest friends.

[00:06:51] He was a Russian millionaire who would whisk her away on lavish trips all around the world,

[00:06:58] where she could take more glamorous lifestyle photos for her Instagram feed

[00:07:02] and get paid at the same time.

[00:07:05] No one knew his true identity.

[00:07:07] Kat kept it secret.

[00:07:09] But according to her roommate, he would shower her with gifts,

[00:07:13] designer purses, and a Rolex covered in diamonds.

[00:07:17] Again, this helped to build her online brand too,

[00:07:20] as someone who had a life most women dreamed of.

[00:07:23] But it was all kind of a facade because

[00:07:26] she wasn't really honest about how she had this life.

[00:07:30] To those watching online,

[00:07:31] it sounded like a wonderful rags-to-riches story.

[00:07:35] This young girl who came from a poor family,

[00:07:38] abused by her father as a kid,

[00:07:40] was able to get out,

[00:07:42] move to America,

[00:07:43] and live the American dream.

[00:07:46] It inspired people.

[00:07:47] They wanted to know how she did it so that they could do it too.

[00:07:51] They just ate up all of her motivational posts,

[00:07:55] where she told people to follow their dreams.

[00:07:57] Now that she had the attention of over 1 million mostly women who wanted to follow in her footsteps,

[00:08:04] she decided to take things one step further

[00:08:06] by publishing a motivational self-help book called

[00:08:10] A Voz,

[00:08:11] which if Google Translate is correct,

[00:08:13] means

[00:08:14] A Voice

[00:08:15] in Portuguese.

[00:08:16] It's still listed on Amazon Books,

[00:08:19] though it says it's currently unavailable,

[00:08:21] probably because of what has happened since then.

[00:08:23] And when translated,

[00:08:25] the description says,

[00:08:26] quote,

[00:08:26] Have you ever caught yourself thinking about facts

[00:08:29] in your daily life that seem like signs

[00:08:31] to choose or not to choose certain attitudes?

[00:08:34] After reading this book,

[00:08:36] you will see that

[00:08:37] seemingly unexplained events and coincidences

[00:08:40] will make sense.

[00:08:42] The Voice shows in a simple way

[00:08:44] why every minute of our lives happened the way it did.

[00:08:47] And where does the meaning and reason for making this or that decision come from?

[00:08:52] In the work,

[00:08:53] the main character goes through common situations and problems that we all go through,

[00:08:58] such as the first kiss,

[00:09:00] first love,

[00:09:01] meeting a soulmate,

[00:09:03] financial difficulties and successes,

[00:09:06] health,

[00:09:06] illness,

[00:09:07] and even the loss of a family member.

[00:09:09] But in all these moments,

[00:09:12] we can see the work of the supreme invisible help that is present with the character all the time,

[00:09:17] supporting and guiding her in everything,

[00:09:20] showing that it also does the same with all of us.

[00:09:24] This book retold her rags-to-riches story,

[00:09:27] how everything that had happened in her past

[00:09:30] led her to building this beautiful, luxurious lifestyle for herself.

[00:09:34] On Amazon,

[00:09:36] it has 4.2 stars out of 5,

[00:09:39] with many glowing reviews written,

[00:09:42] meaning people loved it,

[00:09:44] which launched her career as a life coach.

[00:09:47] She promised that if people listened to her advice,

[00:09:51] they could manifest their dreams.

[00:09:54] Of course,

[00:09:55] at that point,

[00:09:55] she left out the whole sugar baby sugar daddy situation.

[00:09:59] She launched her own website,

[00:10:02] which featured a subscription service,

[00:10:04] where people could pay a monthly fee to get life,

[00:10:07] relationship,

[00:10:08] spiritual,

[00:10:09] and health advice.

[00:10:10] And young women flocked to listen to her for guidance.

[00:10:14] If you wanted a more personal experience,

[00:10:17] you could pay a little or a lot more

[00:10:20] and have a one-on-one video consultation with Kat.

[00:10:24] Her audience felt like they were truly connected to her,

[00:10:27] like they knew her,

[00:10:28] like this was their best friend

[00:10:30] that they could turn to whenever they needed help.

[00:10:33] So when she started talking more about her spiritual gift,

[00:10:37] well,

[00:10:38] they believed her.

[00:10:39] She spoke about the medium

[00:10:41] who told her that she had psychic powers when she was a child,

[00:10:45] how she could connect directly to spirit guides

[00:10:47] to learn information and knowledge

[00:10:49] about how she and others should live their lives.

[00:10:53] Truthfully,

[00:10:53] she was stealing aspects of different religions

[00:10:56] and self-help leaders all around the world.

[00:10:59] Nothing that she had to say

[00:11:01] was truly unique or of her own thinking.

[00:11:05] She would take what she liked

[00:11:07] and then she would just kind of make it her own,

[00:11:09] put her own spin on it,

[00:11:10] put it in her own words.

[00:11:11] The women who followed her on social media

[00:11:14] subscribed to her life coaching

[00:11:16] and paid for the one-on-one video sessions

[00:11:18] would share their most private information,

[00:11:21] their deepest, darkest secrets,

[00:11:24] all in hopes that she would be able to guide them

[00:11:26] on what they should do next.

[00:11:28] Oftentimes,

[00:11:30] these were women who shared the same kind of trauma

[00:11:32] that Kat did.

[00:11:34] They had been abused,

[00:11:35] they came from dirt,

[00:11:37] and they were looking for the light

[00:11:39] at the end of the tunnel.

[00:11:40] They believed that Kat was it.

[00:11:43] But things started to take a really strange turn

[00:11:47] around 2015.

[00:11:49] Kat had gone through some really difficult times.

[00:11:52] First,

[00:11:53] she lost her mother to cancer.

[00:11:55] Then,

[00:11:56] she became ill with a flesh-eating disease

[00:11:58] that was so aggressive,

[00:12:00] she needed to have surgery

[00:12:02] to remove both of her breasts.

[00:12:04] Now,

[00:12:04] without her breasts,

[00:12:05] her modeling career was over.

[00:12:08] And her sugar daddy,

[00:12:09] the Russian millionaire,

[00:12:11] he stopped calling her.

[00:12:13] Which is just awful,

[00:12:15] and I have the utmost sympathy for her in this moment.

[00:12:18] To try to cope,

[00:12:19] she began experimenting with a drug called

[00:12:23] ayahuasca,

[00:12:24] which is a plant-based psychedelic,

[00:12:26] traditionally used by indigenous tribes in the Amazon

[00:12:30] to help heal a variety of ailments.

[00:12:33] Those who use it say that

[00:12:34] it can open your mind

[00:12:36] and help process your trauma.

[00:12:38] Kat began to take this powerful hallucinogenic frequently,

[00:12:42] even attending these spiritual ceremonies

[00:12:45] hosted by the rich and powerful

[00:12:47] in the Hollywood Hills.

[00:12:49] They were all centered around using this drug

[00:12:51] in a group setting

[00:12:52] and having a spiritual experience.

[00:12:55] This is when she also kind of began

[00:12:57] to go off the deep end

[00:12:58] because she was using this drug a lot.

[00:13:00] Now, instead of talking about having this psychic gift,

[00:13:04] she would say that she was ordained by God

[00:13:07] and received messages directly from Him.

[00:13:11] She continued to deliver

[00:13:12] whatever messages she received

[00:13:14] to the clients

[00:13:15] who were willing to stick it out.

[00:13:17] Sometimes,

[00:13:18] she would have them make

[00:13:19] really drastic changes in their lives,

[00:13:22] saying that it was what God wanted them to do

[00:13:25] to have a more prosperous life.

[00:13:27] She would encourage them to quit their jobs,

[00:13:29] break up with their spouse,

[00:13:31] and isolate themselves from friends and family.

[00:13:34] It seemed like the only person

[00:13:37] she wanted them listening to was her.

[00:13:40] I should note here that

[00:13:42] her audience was mostly made up

[00:13:44] of other Brazilian women

[00:13:46] who saw her as this spiritual deity

[00:13:49] that could help them to become just like her,

[00:13:52] move away from their country,

[00:13:53] away from their small towns,

[00:13:55] and then move to America

[00:13:57] to live this life of luxury.

[00:13:59] Kat got married to a man named Kevin

[00:14:01] who helped her to build this massive online life coaching

[00:14:05] slash spirituality business,

[00:14:07] promising to help these women manifest their dreams.

[00:14:10] But the marriage was short-lived

[00:14:13] because Kat was changing.

[00:14:16] She was becoming extremely narcissistic,

[00:14:19] spiraling further into delusion.

[00:14:23] It's time for a quick break

[00:14:24] and a word from tonight's sponsors.

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[00:15:59] Now back to our story.

[00:16:02] She started going out a ton,

[00:16:04] drinking,

[00:16:05] going home with random men,

[00:16:08] completely contradictory

[00:16:09] to the life that she was presenting online,

[00:16:11] to what she was telling her followers to do.

[00:16:14] And it was lonely.

[00:16:15] So after the divorce,

[00:16:18] Kat convinced one of her followers

[00:16:19] to drop her life

[00:16:21] and to move to her apartment in New York

[00:16:23] to work as her assistant.

[00:16:25] This young lady's name was Anna

[00:16:27] and she too was from Brazil.

[00:16:29] She had been studying nutrition

[00:16:31] at a university in Boston,

[00:16:33] but she said yes.

[00:16:35] She just planned to move her studies online.

[00:16:38] Her responsibilities were to include

[00:16:40] cooking,

[00:16:41] cleaning,

[00:16:42] and taking care of Kat's pets.

[00:16:44] In turn,

[00:16:45] Kat promised to pay her $2,000 a month.

[00:16:48] Anna saw this as a great opportunity

[00:16:50] to learn from her idol in the flesh

[00:16:53] while also living with her

[00:16:54] and getting paid.

[00:16:56] But once she arrived,

[00:16:58] she quickly learned that

[00:17:00] not everything was as great

[00:17:01] as this dream she had been sold.

[00:17:04] First of all,

[00:17:05] the perfectly put together Kat

[00:17:07] had this disaster of an apartment.

[00:17:10] It was dirty,

[00:17:11] messy,

[00:17:12] disorganized chaos

[00:17:13] that smelled terrible.

[00:17:15] Not at all what Kat

[00:17:17] had presented on Instagram.

[00:17:19] Kat did not,

[00:17:20] in fact,

[00:17:21] live a put-together life.

[00:17:22] Actually,

[00:17:23] she couldn't do

[00:17:24] very basic things

[00:17:25] like take a shower

[00:17:27] by herself.

[00:17:28] She would force Anna

[00:17:29] to stand outside of the shower

[00:17:31] and talk to her

[00:17:32] until she was all done.

[00:17:33] She never wanted

[00:17:35] to be left alone.

[00:17:36] While Kat had asked

[00:17:37] for an assistant,

[00:17:38] what she really wanted

[00:17:39] was a slave.

[00:17:41] Anna had to take care

[00:17:43] of everything.

[00:17:44] She wasn't allowed to sleep

[00:17:46] unless Kat was preoccupied

[00:17:48] with something else

[00:17:49] or someone else,

[00:17:50] like going out on a date.

[00:17:52] And Kat wasn't paying Anna

[00:17:54] the $2,000 a month

[00:17:56] that she had promised.

[00:17:57] When Anna would inquire

[00:17:59] about being paid,

[00:18:00] wondering, you know,

[00:18:01] where her money was,

[00:18:02] Kat would become aggressive,

[00:18:05] threatening her.

[00:18:06] It would take Anna

[00:18:07] three months

[00:18:08] to find the courage

[00:18:09] to stand up to her idol

[00:18:10] and get away from her.

[00:18:12] Even once Anna

[00:18:14] was physically gone

[00:18:15] from Kat's

[00:18:15] New York apartment,

[00:18:17] Kat would continue

[00:18:18] to harass Anna online

[00:18:19] for another full year.

[00:18:21] And Kat

[00:18:22] continued to spiral.

[00:18:25] The police of California

[00:18:27] will be called

[00:18:29] if Zachary Mankin

[00:18:30] try to hurt me,

[00:18:31] hurt her.

[00:18:31] The police of California

[00:18:32] will follow the orders

[00:18:33] of Mother Mary

[00:18:34] by all meanings,

[00:18:36] by all meanings.

[00:18:37] By all meanings.

[00:18:38] I'm the queen

[00:18:38] of the universe.

[00:18:40] I'm Madalena.

[00:18:41] I'm Madalena,

[00:18:42] Mother Mary,

[00:18:42] Mary, Mary, Mary,

[00:18:43] Mary, Sandy,

[00:18:43] he, he, he, he,

[00:18:44] to protect her son,

[00:18:45] son, son, son, son.

[00:18:46] This time,

[00:18:46] you're not going to kill him.

[00:18:48] He's the Messiah,

[00:18:49] Messiah, Messiah,

[00:18:50] Messiah, Messiah.

[00:18:50] Messiah.

[00:18:51] I'm the Messiah.

[00:18:52] He's the King, King, King,

[00:18:53] King, King, King, King,

[00:18:54] with the world,

[00:18:55] but you're going to be,

[00:18:56] you're going to be

[00:18:58] listening to me,

[00:18:59] Him,

[00:19:00] like He is God Himself.

[00:19:02] Like He's God Himself.

[00:19:04] Like He's God Himself.

[00:19:05] Do you all heard me?

[00:19:06] Do you all heard me?

[00:19:07] Do you all heard the message?

[00:19:09] You dummies

[00:19:10] do not touch that man.

[00:19:11] He has a cross in his arm.

[00:19:13] He's written

[00:19:13] Nathan Mankin,

[00:19:15] Marley Mankin,

[00:19:16] Zzz, Zzz, Zzz,

[00:19:17] Aiden, Aiden, Aiden, Aiden,

[00:19:18] Aiden, Aiden, Aiden,

[00:19:18] Aiden, Aiden, Aiden,

[00:19:19] Aiden, Aiden, Aiden,

[00:19:20] Inning of the year,

[00:19:21] she would leave New York

[00:19:22] and move to Austin, Texas

[00:19:24] with her new husband,

[00:19:25] a 21-year-old named Zach,

[00:19:27] who she had met

[00:19:28] when she was visiting California

[00:19:29] for one of her

[00:19:30] psychedelic-fueled ceremonies.

[00:19:33] They moved into

[00:19:34] a massive

[00:19:35] five-bedroom home

[00:19:36] that they

[00:19:37] couldn't afford.

[00:19:39] And this is where

[00:19:40] Kat began to grow

[00:19:42] her own cult,

[00:19:43] which she called

[00:19:44] the Witch Clan.

[00:19:45] She manipulated

[00:19:46] her most dedicated,

[00:19:48] loyal followers

[00:19:49] by claiming to be

[00:19:50] depressed,

[00:19:51] lonely,

[00:19:52] and suicidal.

[00:19:53] She begged them

[00:19:55] to come live

[00:19:55] and work for her

[00:19:56] in Austin.

[00:19:57] In turn,

[00:19:58] she would teach them

[00:19:59] everything she knew,

[00:20:01] guide them spiritually,

[00:20:03] allowing them

[00:20:03] to achieve their dreams

[00:20:05] and live the life

[00:20:06] that they had always wanted.

[00:20:07] Her alleged life.

[00:20:09] Three women

[00:20:10] were convinced.

[00:20:12] A Brazilian woman

[00:20:13] named

[00:20:13] Desiree Freitas,

[00:20:14] who was living in Germany,

[00:20:16] and two other

[00:20:17] Brazilian women,

[00:20:18] one named

[00:20:19] Leticia Maya

[00:20:20] and another one

[00:20:21] unnamed

[00:20:22] in order to

[00:20:22] protect her identity.

[00:20:24] When these young

[00:20:25] women arrived

[00:20:26] at Kat's home,

[00:20:27] they found that

[00:20:28] what they were promised

[00:20:29] was nothing like

[00:20:30] what they were

[00:20:31] presented with.

[00:20:32] Again,

[00:20:33] the home was dirty

[00:20:34] and it was

[00:20:34] filled with junk.

[00:20:36] There was a

[00:20:37] witchcraft room

[00:20:38] which had candles,

[00:20:39] tarot cards,

[00:20:40] and other

[00:20:40] spiritual items

[00:20:41] that Kat would use

[00:20:43] to allegedly

[00:20:43] perform rituals,

[00:20:44] according to her.

[00:20:46] The tub

[00:20:46] and the bathroom,

[00:20:47] it was set up

[00:20:48] to perform

[00:20:49] these spiritual baths

[00:20:50] where these women

[00:20:51] and other clients

[00:20:53] who would visit the home

[00:20:54] would take drugs

[00:20:55] while being provided

[00:20:56] with quote-unquote

[00:20:57] guidance.

[00:20:59] Much of the time,

[00:21:00] the guidance

[00:21:00] that they received

[00:21:01] suggested that

[00:21:02] they continue

[00:21:03] to follow Kat,

[00:21:04] work for her,

[00:21:05] and do whatever else

[00:21:06] she told them to do.

[00:21:08] Just like with

[00:21:09] what had happened

[00:21:09] to Anna,

[00:21:10] it wasn't long

[00:21:11] until these girls

[00:21:12] were forced to be

[00:21:13] Kat's slaves,

[00:21:14] doing all of the

[00:21:15] cooking and

[00:21:16] household chores.

[00:21:18] But this still

[00:21:19] wasn't enough for Kat.

[00:21:20] She didn't just

[00:21:21] want someone

[00:21:22] taking care of her

[00:21:23] and her home,

[00:21:24] she wanted money

[00:21:25] coming in.

[00:21:26] Just weeks after

[00:21:28] Desiree had arrived

[00:21:29] in Texas,

[00:21:30] Kat began to pressure

[00:21:31] her into working

[00:21:32] at a strip club.

[00:21:33] Kat told her that

[00:21:35] she had spent

[00:21:35] a ton of money

[00:21:37] on her,

[00:21:37] for her flight

[00:21:38] to get there,

[00:21:39] her room and board

[00:21:40] and all the food,

[00:21:41] and now it was time

[00:21:42] for Desiree

[00:21:43] to pay her back.

[00:21:45] If she refused,

[00:21:47] Kat said that

[00:21:47] she would curse her,

[00:21:49] which Desiree

[00:21:50] fully believed

[00:21:51] she had the ability

[00:21:52] to do.

[00:21:53] So,

[00:21:54] she began working

[00:21:55] at a local

[00:21:56] strip club,

[00:21:56] with every penny

[00:21:58] earned

[00:21:58] going right back

[00:22:00] to Kat.

[00:22:00] Kat kept not only

[00:22:02] all of the money

[00:22:03] locked away

[00:22:03] in her bedroom,

[00:22:04] but she also kept

[00:22:05] the girls' passports.

[00:22:07] She claimed that

[00:22:08] it was for their

[00:22:09] safety,

[00:22:09] so that the men

[00:22:11] at the club

[00:22:11] didn't find them,

[00:22:13] learn their identities,

[00:22:14] and start to

[00:22:14] stalk them.

[00:22:16] But this also meant

[00:22:17] that the girls

[00:22:18] couldn't get away

[00:22:19] from her.

[00:22:20] They had no money,

[00:22:21] no identification,

[00:22:23] nowhere to go,

[00:22:25] trapped in a country

[00:22:26] where all they had

[00:22:27] was Kat Torres.

[00:22:29] According to one

[00:22:29] of the other girls,

[00:22:30] there were also

[00:22:31] very strict rules

[00:22:32] that they had to follow.

[00:22:34] They had to stay

[00:22:34] in their bedrooms

[00:22:35] and never leave

[00:22:36] the house unless

[00:22:37] they were going

[00:22:38] somewhere with Kat.

[00:22:39] They were also

[00:22:40] not allowed to talk

[00:22:41] to one another

[00:22:42] at any time.

[00:22:43] They took a vow

[00:22:44] of silence,

[00:22:45] probably so that

[00:22:46] they couldn't band

[00:22:47] together and get

[00:22:48] the hell out of there.

[00:22:49] It didn't help

[00:22:50] that it was

[00:22:51] a well-known fact

[00:22:52] that Kat's husband,

[00:22:53] Zach,

[00:22:54] kept multiple guns

[00:22:55] in the home.

[00:22:56] Though the women

[00:22:57] were bringing in

[00:22:57] thousands of dollars

[00:22:59] each week

[00:23:00] working at the strip club,

[00:23:01] again,

[00:23:02] this was not enough

[00:23:03] for Kat,

[00:23:04] and soon she began

[00:23:05] manipulating the girls

[00:23:06] to do more

[00:23:07] than just strip.

[00:23:09] She wanted them

[00:23:10] to be sex workers.

[00:23:12] At first,

[00:23:13] Desiree refused,

[00:23:14] so Kat brought her

[00:23:16] to a gun range

[00:23:17] and showed her

[00:23:18] what she might do

[00:23:19] to her if she

[00:23:20] didn't comply.

[00:23:21] Desiree was terrified,

[00:23:23] and I know it's

[00:23:24] difficult to imagine

[00:23:25] how this one woman

[00:23:27] had so much control

[00:23:28] over these young ladies,

[00:23:30] but they were

[00:23:31] completely manipulated.

[00:23:33] These young women,

[00:23:35] they had been following

[00:23:36] Kat online for years.

[00:23:37] One of the women,

[00:23:39] Leticia,

[00:23:40] she had been following Kat

[00:23:41] since she was just

[00:23:42] 14 years old.

[00:23:44] She basically worshipped her.

[00:23:46] Combined with the fact

[00:23:47] that they were now

[00:23:48] stuck in a country

[00:23:49] with no money,

[00:23:50] no family,

[00:23:51] no identification,

[00:23:53] they felt like

[00:23:54] they had to comply.

[00:23:55] Otherwise,

[00:23:56] they'd be cursed

[00:23:57] by this person

[00:23:58] that they believed

[00:24:00] had spiritual powers.

[00:24:02] Kat controlled everything.

[00:24:04] She would set up

[00:24:05] profiles for the girls

[00:24:06] on sugar baby

[00:24:07] and escort websites,

[00:24:09] and then set up

[00:24:10] these dates

[00:24:10] with sugar daddies.

[00:24:12] If they ever

[00:24:13] stood up for themselves

[00:24:14] and threatened

[00:24:15] to stop going

[00:24:16] on these dates,

[00:24:17] well,

[00:24:17] she told them that

[00:24:18] she would report them

[00:24:19] to the police

[00:24:20] because prostitution

[00:24:21] is illegal in Texas.

[00:24:23] They were also

[00:24:24] given goals

[00:24:25] of how much money

[00:24:26] they needed to make

[00:24:26] every day,

[00:24:28] typically around

[00:24:28] $3,000 a day

[00:24:30] or more.

[00:24:31] And if they couldn't

[00:24:32] hit that goal,

[00:24:32] they were not allowed

[00:24:34] to return to the home.

[00:24:35] They had to sleep out

[00:24:36] on the streets.

[00:24:38] This went on

[00:24:39] for a few months

[00:24:40] and the girls' families

[00:24:41] became increasingly worried,

[00:24:43] especially because

[00:24:44] they hadn't heard

[00:24:45] from them

[00:24:46] and they weren't able

[00:24:47] to get a hold of them.

[00:24:48] Their phones were off

[00:24:49] all of the time.

[00:24:50] And now,

[00:24:52] everything that they

[00:24:52] were seeing online

[00:24:53] was very worrisome,

[00:24:56] especially when

[00:24:57] their escort profiles

[00:24:58] were discovered.

[00:24:59] This story

[00:25:00] blew up

[00:25:01] in Brazil

[00:25:02] where the young ladies

[00:25:03] were from.

[00:25:04] There was a social media

[00:25:05] campaign launched

[00:25:06] by their families

[00:25:07] to try to find them

[00:25:08] and to get them

[00:25:09] back home.

[00:25:10] That's when Kat

[00:25:11] had them record videos.

[00:25:13] The girls

[00:25:14] were recorded

[00:25:15] telling their families

[00:25:16] that they were in America

[00:25:17] by their own free will

[00:25:19] and that they should

[00:25:20] just leave them alone.

[00:25:22] They denied

[00:25:23] that they were

[00:25:23] being held captive.

[00:25:25] The videos

[00:25:26] weren't very convincing,

[00:25:27] though.

[00:25:28] The women

[00:25:28] were almost

[00:25:29] unrecognizable

[00:25:30] with their bleached

[00:25:31] blonde hair

[00:25:32] and their tired eyes

[00:25:33] and they appeared

[00:25:34] to be speaking

[00:25:35] from a script.

[00:25:36] There was no

[00:25:37] authenticity

[00:25:38] behind the words

[00:25:39] that they were using.

[00:25:40] It felt severely

[00:25:42] coerced.

[00:25:43] Still,

[00:25:44] this story

[00:25:44] was making the rounds

[00:25:45] on social media

[00:25:46] and in the Brazilian

[00:25:48] media.

[00:25:49] In fact,

[00:25:50] it made its way

[00:25:51] to Anna,

[00:25:52] the young lady

[00:25:52] who had moved

[00:25:53] into Kat's

[00:25:54] New York apartment

[00:25:55] where she was

[00:25:56] manipulated

[00:25:56] into being her

[00:25:57] own personal slave.

[00:25:59] When Anna saw

[00:26:00] the new allegations

[00:26:01] against Kat,

[00:26:02] that she was

[00:26:03] now holding

[00:26:04] these young girls

[00:26:05] hostage

[00:26:05] and forcing them

[00:26:07] into sex work,

[00:26:08] she reached out

[00:26:09] to the FBI.

[00:26:11] Worried about

[00:26:11] possibly being arrested,

[00:26:13] Kat packed up

[00:26:14] the house

[00:26:15] and they all

[00:26:16] moved to Maine

[00:26:17] to avoid being found.

[00:26:18] But shortly

[00:26:20] after making this move,

[00:26:21] Kat was apprehended

[00:26:23] by police

[00:26:23] and Desiree

[00:26:25] and Letitia,

[00:26:26] who were still

[00:26:26] with her,

[00:26:27] they were questioned

[00:26:28] away from Kat

[00:26:29] where they could

[00:26:30] finally tell the truth.

[00:26:31] The other

[00:26:32] unnamed young lady,

[00:26:33] she was lucky enough

[00:26:35] to make it out of

[00:26:35] Kat's home

[00:26:36] and had boomed in

[00:26:37] with her boyfriend

[00:26:37] before she was

[00:26:39] forced into sex work.

[00:26:41] Finally free

[00:26:42] from Kat's

[00:26:43] watchful eye,

[00:26:44] Desiree and Letitia

[00:26:45] told them everything.

[00:26:47] How they were

[00:26:48] forced to strip

[00:26:49] and then

[00:26:50] forced into

[00:26:51] prostitution.

[00:26:52] How Kat had

[00:26:53] kept their passports

[00:26:54] and all of their money.

[00:26:56] How they were made

[00:26:57] to lie to their families

[00:26:59] saying that

[00:26:59] they were not being

[00:27:00] held against their will

[00:27:01] but they were.

[00:27:03] In November of 2022,

[00:27:06] Kat Torres

[00:27:06] was deported

[00:27:07] back to Brazil

[00:27:08] where she was arrested

[00:27:10] on trafficking

[00:27:11] and slavery charges.

[00:27:13] Thankfully,

[00:27:14] Desiree and Letitia

[00:27:15] were also sent

[00:27:16] back home to Brazil

[00:27:17] where they were

[00:27:18] safely returned

[00:27:18] to the care

[00:27:19] of their families.

[00:27:20] Kat would give

[00:27:21] an interview

[00:27:22] with the BBC

[00:27:23] from prison

[00:27:23] just this past

[00:27:24] April

[00:27:25] and she fully

[00:27:26] denied all

[00:27:27] allegations against

[00:27:28] her.

[00:27:28] She would say

[00:27:29] quote,

[00:27:30] When I was seeing

[00:27:31] the people

[00:27:32] testifying,

[00:27:33] they were saying

[00:27:34] so many lies.

[00:27:35] So many lies

[00:27:36] that at one point

[00:27:37] I couldn't stop

[00:27:38] laughing.

[00:27:39] People are saying

[00:27:40] I am a fake guru

[00:27:42] but at the same time

[00:27:43] they are also saying

[00:27:44] that

[00:27:45] she is a danger

[00:27:46] to society

[00:27:46] because she can

[00:27:48] change people's mind

[00:27:49] with her words.

[00:27:50] Now here's a short clip

[00:27:52] because I feel like

[00:27:53] you've got to hear

[00:27:53] this girl talk

[00:27:54] for yourself.

[00:27:55] How does it make you feel

[00:27:57] when you're hearing

[00:27:57] that former clients

[00:27:59] are traumatized?

[00:28:00] I don't believe it.

[00:28:02] I have to say

[00:28:03] they are

[00:28:04] absolutely ridiculous

[00:28:06] and that they need

[00:28:07] to run back

[00:28:08] to their parents.

[00:28:09] Why do you think

[00:28:10] they'd make something

[00:28:11] like that up?

[00:28:12] Because they want media.

[00:28:14] Because they want

[00:28:15] to be somebody.

[00:28:16] They want to talk

[00:28:17] about it.

[00:28:18] It's not real.

[00:28:19] It's not true.

[00:28:21] I've been working

[00:28:22] with this for nine years

[00:28:23] and I have 14,000 clients

[00:28:26] and I had many people

[00:28:27] that were very jealous

[00:28:29] about the money

[00:28:29] I was making.

[00:28:30] I charge a lot

[00:28:31] of money to do it.

[00:28:33] Did you believe

[00:28:34] in the advice

[00:28:34] you were giving

[00:28:35] these women?

[00:28:36] Oh yeah.

[00:28:37] I believe

[00:28:38] a thousand percent.

[00:28:40] I will look

[00:28:41] in their eyes

[00:28:41] and I will

[00:28:42] go to sleep

[00:28:43] and I will wake

[00:28:44] up in the morning

[00:28:45] thinking about the advice

[00:28:46] I give to them.

[00:28:46] In jail still

[00:28:48] I think about

[00:28:48] the advice

[00:28:49] I give to them.

[00:28:49] I never ever

[00:28:51] was wrong.

[00:28:51] Ever.

[00:28:52] I don't regret

[00:28:53] one single word

[00:28:55] I said

[00:28:56] I don't regret.

[00:28:57] Clearly

[00:28:57] she's not remorseful

[00:28:59] for what she's done

[00:29:00] and she still

[00:29:01] thinks that

[00:29:02] she's a big deal.

[00:29:03] Not a big enough

[00:29:04] deal to avoid

[00:29:05] persecution though.

[00:29:07] In June

[00:29:07] she was sentenced

[00:29:08] to eight years

[00:29:09] in prison

[00:29:10] for human trafficking

[00:29:11] and slavery

[00:29:12] of one of the girls.

[00:29:14] There is still

[00:29:15] an ongoing

[00:29:15] investigation

[00:29:16] into the allegations

[00:29:17] the other potential

[00:29:18] victims have made

[00:29:19] so her time

[00:29:20] behind bars

[00:29:21] it may only

[00:29:22] be the beginning.

[00:29:23] She plans

[00:29:24] to appeal

[00:29:25] her conviction

[00:29:25] however judging

[00:29:27] by the media

[00:29:28] interviews

[00:29:28] that she's been

[00:29:29] giving

[00:29:29] I'm not sure

[00:29:30] how promising

[00:29:31] that will be.

[00:29:32] This story

[00:29:33] is quite different

[00:29:34] than a lot of

[00:29:35] the other cases

[00:29:36] that I cover

[00:29:36] but I thought

[00:29:37] that it was

[00:29:38] really important

[00:29:39] because human

[00:29:40] trafficking

[00:29:40] is a growing

[00:29:41] problem

[00:29:42] and the way

[00:29:43] that it's

[00:29:43] happening

[00:29:44] is changing

[00:29:45] every day.

[00:29:46] A lot of us

[00:29:47] might envision

[00:29:47] a kidnapping

[00:29:48] in a parking lot

[00:29:49] a world full

[00:29:50] of drugs

[00:29:51] or being

[00:29:52] recruited

[00:29:52] by a gang

[00:29:53] maybe a scene

[00:29:54] out of the movie

[00:29:55] Taken

[00:29:55] but sometimes

[00:29:57] human trafficking

[00:29:58] is in the form

[00:29:59] of a beautiful

[00:30:00] young woman

[00:30:01] with the promise

[00:30:02] of a better life.

[00:30:03] As one of the

[00:30:04] fastest growing

[00:30:05] crimes today

[00:30:06] it's really important

[00:30:07] to be able

[00:30:08] to identify

[00:30:08] the red flags.

[00:30:10] If something

[00:30:11] seems too good

[00:30:12] to be true

[00:30:12] it likely is.

[00:30:14] That's it for me

[00:30:15] tonight.

[00:30:16] If you want

[00:30:16] to reach out

[00:30:17] you can find

[00:30:17] me on Facebook

[00:30:18] at Serial Napper.

[00:30:19] You can find

[00:30:20] my audio

[00:30:21] on Apple

[00:30:21] Spotify

[00:30:22] or wherever

[00:30:23] you listen

[00:30:23] to podcasts.

[00:30:24] I post all

[00:30:25] of my episodes

[00:30:26] in video format

[00:30:27] over on YouTube

[00:30:28] so go check it out.

[00:30:29] And if you are

[00:30:30] watching on YouTube

[00:30:31] I'd love if you

[00:30:32] can give me

[00:30:32] a thumbs up

[00:30:33] and subscribe

[00:30:33] every little bit

[00:30:34] helps.

[00:30:35] I'm currently

[00:30:36] temporarily

[00:30:37] don't know

[00:30:38] what I'm going

[00:30:38] to do next

[00:30:39] but I am

[00:30:39] over on X

[00:30:40] formerly known

[00:30:41] as Twitter

[00:30:42] at Serial

[00:30:43] Napper

[00:30:44] and I post

[00:30:44] things on TikTok.

[00:30:46] Serial Napper

[00:30:46] Nick and that's

[00:30:47] all one word.

[00:30:48] I am also

[00:30:49] on Blue Sky

[00:30:50] which I keep

[00:30:51] referring to

[00:30:51] as Blue Ski

[00:30:52] but it's Blue Sky

[00:30:53] and Thread

[00:30:54] so go find me

[00:30:55] there.

[00:30:56] Until next time

[00:30:57] sweet dreams

[00:30:59] stay kind

[00:31:00] especially

[00:31:01] in the comments.

[00:31:03] Bye.

[00:31:03] Bye.