Ring of trans women that targeted foreign men by offering them sex before robbing them facing up to 10 years in a Colombian prison
by: Adry Torres
Posted: Jan 26, 2024
Seven transgender women who targeted foreign men by offering them sexual favors before robbing them have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in Colombia.
The criminal network, including a woman, appeared before a MedellĂn judge Monday and pleaded guilty to using minors for the commission of crimes, conspiring to commit a crime, and aggravated theft and larceny.
The trans suspects, SofĂa Vargas; Vanesa VĂ©lez; Nicol Guaca; EstefanĂa Suaza; EstefanĂa Cabrera; Sara Cardona; Venezuelan national, Yuliana Palacios, and a woman, MarĂa Velásquez, had been in custody since May 14, 2022, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Palacios will be deported to Venezuela upon the completion of her sentence.
Prosecutors said the defendants went on a mugging spree between October 4, 2020 and March 21, 2022, robbing 19 victims from the United States, Mexico, Israel, Germany and Turkey in the MedellĂn upscale neighborhood of El Poblado.
The suspects intercepted their targets in Parque Lleras, the city's top nightlife district, and offered sex services.
They would then distract the men and rob them of their cellphones and other personal belongings.
In some instances, minors were used to carry out the crimes, the prosecution said.
Known as the 'City of the Eternal Spring,' MedellĂn is a top destination for international travelers but has seen hit hard by a rash of crimes against visitors.
There were 169 robbery reports registered between January and March, according to MedellĂn Tourism Observatory.
In comparison, only 30 reports were made in the same quarter in 2022, a decrease from 39 in the same period in 2021.
In June, two Polish tourists were mugged at knifepoint while hiking at the Cerro El Volador, a ridge that overlooks the MedellĂn urban area.
The agency's coordinator, Carlos Calle, believes that the number of robberies could be even higher, but many go unreported because victims may have been involved in illicit activities.
Some are not registered because of the language barrier that exists between the police and tourists.
In March, a 36-year-old Israel national was beaten and kidnapped after leaving a restaurant where he had dined with a woman he met on Tinder. The man was rescued by cops after his three captors crashed their vehicle during a high-speed police pursuit.
As part of the investigation, police discovered that the car's license plates matched the ones that were spotted on a vehicle that suspects were traveling on after murdering Kyle Mackenzie, of Sweden, on February 28.
The post, Ring of trans women that targeted foreign men by offering them sex before robbing them facing up to 10 years in a Colombian prison first appeared on Daily Mail.