Category: Immigrant child trafficking
Man who brought Happy Meal to buy 11-year-old girl for sex slavery will be deported after serving decades in prison
A man living in Oklahoma was convicted for charges related to the attempted sexual trafficking of a minor after getting caught in an undercover sting operation.
Braulio Luna, 59, arranged to purchase an 11-year-old girl for sexual activity, but unbeknownst to him, he was speaking to police officers pretending to be human traffickers.
‘There is actually … code words that people use to advertise these. And once you are in the trade, you understand what these code words are.’
The operation involved officers posting ads as a mother who was trying to sell her 11-year-old daughter.
“Mr. Luna responded to that ad and started making preparations to actually purchase an 11-year-old for a sexual encounter,” said Maj. Adam Flowers of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office to KFOR-TV.
Investigators noted that Luna brought a McDonald’s Happy Meal with him to purchase the fictitious girl, which they said demonstrated his intent to exploit a minor.
Rather than finding his intended victim, Luna found deputies waiting in a hotel room and was arrested on August 29, 2024.
Luna confessed to investigators that he had harmed a child in the past, and police are working to identify that victim.
“But unfortunately, it’s kind of like a cold case. We know they’re out there. We just don’t know who they are. He wasn’t forthcoming with that,” Flowers added.
Luna pleaded guilty to felony child exploitation and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He must serve at least 18 years before being released.
Court documents indicated that Luna would also be deported to his country of origin after serving his time in prison. He was a legal U.S. resident but not a citizen.
Flowers said that traffickers use everyday apps such as Snapchat, Tinder, and Facebook to seek their victims.
“There are numerous websites out there that cater to this type of black market, illicit activity where people are selling themselves for sex,” Flowers said.
“Family members, foster families, even kids that are being trafficked by pimps,” he explained, “they all have people that use these apps for illicit purposes. There is actually … code words that people use to advertise these. And once you are in the trade, you understand what these code words are.”
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