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Guilty plea in N.C. sex trafficking case

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A guilty plea to sex trafficking charges has been entered by a 40-year-old Mexican national accused of operating a brothel in Charlotte, N.C.

Filemon Guzman-Martinez pleaded guilty Wednesday to transporting individuals in interstate commerce for prostitution, enticing individuals to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution and unlawful transportation of an alien, the Charlotte Observer reported.

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Guzman-Martinez was accused of operating a residential brothel in the city.

"Sex trafficking is a horrible crime that treats sex as a commodity and exploits vulnerable persons for financial benefit," U.S. Attorney Anne Tompkins said. "This case provides a window into the underground world of sex trafficking and shows that it happens in communities like ours."

Federal prosecutors say Guzman-Martinez solicited prospective prostitution customers with business cards featuring his cell phone number, pictures of women in sexually suggestive poses and the question, "What do you have to lose?"

Customers would then call the defendant to request a prostitute, authorities said.

Guzman-Martinez faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, the Observer reported.

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