A 42-year-old citizen of Mexico, Clemente Melendez Gutierrez, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in federal prison on Friday after pleading guilty to transportation for the purposes of prostitution. The sentencing follows his conviction for recruiting an 18-year-old victim from Mexico, subjecting her to abuse, and forcing her into commercial sex acts in Houston.
Melendez Gutierrez used the false pretense of a romantic relationship to recruit the victim in 2007. After meeting her in Mexico, he quickly isolated her, informed her she would be working in commercial sex, and when she refused, he subjected her to severe physical abuse, including dragging her by the hair and punching and kicking her. He then forced her to engage in commercial sex acts at a hotel in Mexico.
Coerced Into Debt Bondage in Houston
Days later, Melendez Gutierrez had the victim smuggled across the U.S. border and brought her to Houston. Upon arrival, he told the victim that she now owed him thousands of dollars for her transportation, placing her in a form of debt bondage. To repay this fabricated debt, she was forced to work at a cantina and engage in commercial sex in hidden back rooms.
He set a nightly quota for the money the victim had to earn, and he resorted to violence when she failed to meet it. The victim was forced to work at multiple locations until she finally managed to escape the defendant in 2013. Court documents reveal Melendez Gutierrez repeated this pattern of conduct with different women and girls between 2005 and 2021.
Officials Vow to Hold Traffickers Accountable
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division emphasized the severity of the crime. “The defendant preyed upon this vulnerable victim and used physical abuse to coerce her to travel to the United States to engage in commercial sex for his own financial gain,” Dhillon stated. “This sentence reflects the severity of the defendant’s conduct, and the DOJ will relentlessly prosecute and hold accountable sex traffickers.”
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Nicholas J. Ganjei described the defendant’s actions as causing “immeasurable” damage. “Gutierrez subjected his victims to years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse in pursuit of his own personal profit,” said Ganjei. “Today’s sentence underscores our office’s steadfast pursuit of those who prey upon and exploit women for financial gain.”
FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams acknowledged the long road to justice, noting that the physical, mental, and emotional trauma suffered by the victim at the hands of this “suitor-turned-monster” will remain with her.
Melendez Gutierrez pleaded guilty in August and will now serve his decade-long sentence for his exploitation of the victim.
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