Jail Cell, TFP File Photo

St. Petersburg Woman Sentenced To Federal Prison For Child Trafficking

 Leslie Reio, 25, of St. Petersburg has been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for engaging in the sex trafficking of minor children.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Leslie Reio, 25, of St. Petersburg has been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for engaging in the sex trafficking of minor children.

Reio was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to pay restitution to the victims. Reio pleaded guilty on November 16, 2021.

According to court documents, between March 6 and March 14, 2021, Reio and her co-defendant, Julius Arline, obtained, enticed, and housed two child victims in a St. Petersburg hotel room, forcing them to commit commercial sex acts.

The child victims—14 and 15 years old—were rescued after being forced to take sexually explicit photographs of themselves that were used as online advertisements for commercial sex with strangers. The two children were kept in the hotel room where they were provided illegal drugs and forced to participate in a number of sex dates over the eight-day period.

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After being forced to engage in the sex acts and receiving payment, the child victims were required to give money to Arline and Reio.

Arline, the leader of the organization, was sentenced on June 8, 2022, to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

“Predators who hold children captive in hotels and force them to commit commercial sex acts are some of the most vile traffickers,” said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt. “HSI, alongside the St. Petersburg Police Department, are committed to rescuing child victims from these truly disturbed individuals. We will not rest until predators like her are put behind bars and held responsible for their heinous crimes.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force, with substantial assistance from St. Petersburg Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.

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