Houston gang leader William Alberto Lopez faces at least 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking several women from Central America. At the same time, Illinois state lawmakers plan to introduce legislation this week that would make it the first state to decriminalize sex work fully. This significant move would allow victims of sex trafficking, like those trafficked by Lopez, to be able to report crimes against them without fear of consequences.
A brutal operation unveiled
The trafficking operation spanned several locations, including apartments and properties in Houston, where the women were housed and exploited. As reported by Houston Landing, Lopez, along with his mother, Maria, and his four brothers, operated brothers in the Gulfton area of Houston using threats, abuse, and coercion to control their victims. Lopez reportedly played a central role in arranging for syndicates to traffic at least four women into the U.S. between 2010 and 2017.
One woman was told that she could pay off a $4500 entry fee by working at his mother’s restaurants; however, when the woman arrived in Houston, she was told there was no restaurant and that she would have to pay off her debt by having sex with men.
According to the plea agreement,
Forced into sex work, the woman was repeatedly abused and threatened by Lopez, who acted as her pimp[…] She was also forced by Lopez to tattoo his initials on her body. Another woman was also forced by Lopez to tattoo his initials on her neck and thigh while working at a brothel he operated in Cancun, Mexico, in 2016, the agreement says.
The second woman was able to escape from the Cancun brothel but was forced into sex work a second time. At times, she refused to prostitute herself to pay off the $9,000. Those refusals were met by threats from Lopez that he would harm her son and family in Nicaragua if she didn’t do as she was told. Lopez also told the woman that she owed him an additional $20,000 for fleeing from the Cancun brothel.
The plea agreement details how the women endured physical and emotional abuse, with some being branded with Lopez’s initials to signify ownership. A third woman, after escaping a brothel in Cancun, was forcibly returned to sex work in Houston under threats to harm her son and family. Another was coerced into cosmetic surgery because Lopez deemed she was not earning enough. A fourth woman was threatened with deportation without her American-born child if she refused to comply.
The legal proceedings have resulted in guilty pleas from Lopez, his mother, and his four brothers. “The brutality these women endured at the hands of this family is incomprehensible,” said Adam Goldman, the lead prosecutor, who has negotiated plea agreements with 19 of the 23 people charged.
Illinois’ legislative breakthrough
Critics argue that criminalizing sex work creates conditions that enable trafficking by forcing the industry underground, making it harder to detect exploitation and hold traffickers accountable. Decriminalizing sex work could empower workers to report abuse and seek protection without fear of legal consequences. Freedom United has endorsed decriminalization as a strategy to reduce trafficking, citing evidence that this approach reduces violence, exploitation, and stigma while fostering safer working conditions.
By shifting focus from criminalizing consensual adult sex work to addressing coercion and exploitation, resources could be reallocated toward combating trafficking networks like the one operated by Lopez and his family.
As reported by Chicago Sun Times, Illinois is currently considering legislation to decriminalize sex work. Illinois’ potential reforms could pave the way for a model in which sex workers can operate safely and report instances of trafficking without the looming threat of prosecution. If enacted, Illinois’ legislation could provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of decriminalization in reducing sex trafficking and serve as a benchmark for other states considering similar measures.
“The threat of arrest and prosecution keeps sex workers unsafe and in the shadows, and this threat must be eliminated,” Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, said Monday at a news conference announcing the proposed bill. “This law is essential now more than ever.”
Decrim now!
The Lopez case illustrates the devastating impact of sex trafficking on vulnerable populations and highlights systemic gaps in prevention efforts. Decriminalizing sex work has the potential to address these gaps by fostering greater transparency and safety within the industry, ultimately reducing opportunities for traffickers to exploit individuals.
Read more about our work supporting the full decriminalization of sex work to prevent trafficking.
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