Influencer Viral News: Former Brazilian model and US-based wellness influencer Kat Torres has been sentenced to eight years in prison. She has been accused of human trafficking and keeping girls as slaves. The FBI alleges that two girls living with her went missing in 2022. The girls living with Torres have told about their painful experience in a conversation with the BBC. They told that Torres used to attract us by telling stories of the life of the rich in America.
The girls further said that they were living in poverty in Brazil, so they fell into his trap and reached his house in Texas, America, cherishing dreams of a rich life, but as soon as they reached there, their life completely changed. The dream of coming out of a poor area and partying with Hollywood stars was shattered.
Who is this model?
Torres has been a famous face of many Brazilian TV shows. There was also a rumor about Torres that she was dating Hollywood’s popular actor Leonardo DiCaprio. She has claimed to predict future with her spiritual powers on many occasions. A girl named Ana, who was trapped in Torres’ trap, told BBC, ‘She was on the cover page of many magazines. She was seen with famous people like Leonardo DiCaprio on many occasions. Whatever I saw seemed credible.’
The story of enslaved girls in their own words
In 2019, Ana came to live with Torres in New York. She had come to the US from Brazil alone, leaving behind the horrific memories of her childhood. Currently, she is studying in Boston. She had to take care of Torres’ animals, cook food, wash his clothes, in return she was to get 2000 dollars a month. When she reached his house, she saw that the flat was completely dirty. She was forced to sleep on a sofa stained with cat urine, she had to be available for Torres all the time, but she never got a salary. She did not get time to sleep, but she used to secretly sleep for some time in the building’s gym. One day, seeing an opportunity, she somehow ran away, but this did not affect Torres; he hired two other girls, Desiree and Leticia. Torres had made their lives worse than Ana’s.
Prostitution and witchcraft
Desiree was forced to work at the strip club. It is alleged that Torres also used “witchcraft” on her. The two girls were forbidden from talking to each other. Both had to ask permission even to go to the bathroom. Desiree said that Torres forced her into prostitution. Many times she was forced to sleep on the streets. More than 20 girls have come forward with stories of being cheated or exploited by Torres. They are still undergoing therapy to recover from their experience.
Do they really have spiritual powers?
Torres’ former flatmate, who lived with her in New York, revealed to the BBC about her spiritual powers. She said that she used to confuse and deceive people by giving them a drug called Ayahuasca. Using this drug, she started a business of calling herself a life coach and attracting people. Torres also developed a wellness website, in which customers were lured with the promise of ‘love, money and self-respect’. For this, they also charged about 12 thousand rupees (150 dollars) from the customers.
Tags: Social media influencers, Viral news
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 16, 2024, 10:20 IST