Two illegal aliens from Venezuela were sentenced this week in federal court to a combined 32 years in prison for their roles in the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old Venezuelan orphan.
Nelson Adrian Perez-Martinez, 23, was sentenced on Monday to 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. His co-defendant, Giannys Alexandra Ramirez-Fernandez, 21, received a 150-month (12.5-year) sentence on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery imposed both sentences in San Antonio federal court.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the pair conspired to cause the minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts. The offenses began with Ramirez-Fernandez’s relationship with the victim in Colombia and continued after the group entered the U.S. illegally, culminating in prostitution operations in Richmond, Kentucky, and San Antonio, Texas.
Timeline of the Trafficking Operation
Ramirez-Fernandez, who was 17 at the time, began a relationship with the then-13-year-old victim while the child was living with adoptive parents in Colombia. The two crossed illegally into the United States in December 2022. Perez-Martinez, a friend of Ramirez-Fernandez from Venezuela, entered the country illegally in December 2023 and joined them.
The defendants transported the minor from Kentucky to San Antonio specifically for the purpose of commercial sex. In July 2024, over approximately two weeks, from July 19 to July 30, the trio moved among about six San Antonio-area motels. They shared a room at each location, with lodging paid in cash from the proceeds of the victim’s prostitution. An online advertisement was posted offering commercial sex with the minor.
All three shared in the proceeds from the sex acts.
Arrest and Investigation
The operation ended on July 30, 2024. An undercover San Antonio Police Department officer assigned to the Human Exploitation Unit responded to the escort advertisement. Posing as a customer, the officer was directed to a Studio 6 motel on Pasteur Court. Inside the room, the 16-year-old victim agreed to provide sexual services for a fee. The officer signaled the arrest team, leading to the simultaneous arrests of Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez outside, where they were acting as lookouts or “spotters.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the San Antonio Police Department, with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia McNab and Sade Bogart prosecuted the matter.
Court Proceedings
Ramirez-Fernandez pleaded guilty on September 17, 2025, to three counts: aiding and abetting sex trafficking of children, conspiracy to sex traffic children, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Perez-Martinez faced a five-count superseding indictment charging him with aiding and abetting sex trafficking of children, aiding and abetting benefitting from sex trafficking, conspiracy, aiding and abetting coercion and enticement, and transportation of a minor. His first trial ended in a hung jury in October 2025. A jury convicted him on all counts on February 23, 2026.
Official Reactions
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas stated, “We will not abide illegal aliens who come to this country, take advantage of our many freedoms, and then enrich themselves to the detriment of others. The illegal alien defendants in this case sought to enrich themselves to the detriment of a child by forcing that child to engage in sex with adult men, and now they’re getting paid exactly what they’re owed: decades in prison.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco of HSI San Antonio added, “Human trafficking has no place in the world. The suffering and abuse endured by the minor victims at the hands of this organization is unconscionable, and these sentences reflect the severity of those crimes.”
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations.
