Sep 16, 1:14 AM EDT


Woman accused of forcing Guatemalans to prostitute



LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A woman has been arrested for allegedly participating in a sex ring that smuggled Guatemalan women into California and forced them into prostitution to pay smuggling fees.

Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez was arrested Monday by federal agents and will appear in federal court Tuesday in Los Angeles.

According to a federal grand jury indictment, Vasquez and eight others recruited their young victims with false promises of high-paying jobs, held them against their will and beat them. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller says the group also used witch doctors to scare victims into believing that they and their families would be cursed if they escaped.

When the FBI broke up the prostitution ring in 2006, Vasquez became a fugitive.

It was not clear Monday if Vasquez had an attorney.



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