ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A 25-year-old St. Pete woman was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for engaging in the sex trafficking of minors, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced on Monday.
Leslie Reio’s eight years in prison will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Reio must also register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims. She pled guilty on November 16, 2021.
Julius Marcus Arline, Reio’s co-defendant, turned himself in to authorities in July 2021. He pled guilty on March 11, 2022. Arline was sentenced to 40 years of federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release on June 8, 2022.
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Arline and Reio enticed two underage victims, ages 14 and 15, to a St. Pete hotel room where they forced them to commit commercial sex acts between March 6-14, 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
The victims were rescued after they were forced to take sexually explicit photos of themselves that were used as online ads for sex with strangers. The victims were kept in the hotel where they were given illegal drugs and forced to take part in a number of sex dates over an eight-day period, officials said. After they were forced to have sex and get payment, the victims were required to give money to Arline and Reio.
“Predators who hold children captive in hotels and force them to commit commercial sex acts are some of the most vile traffickers,” HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kristopher Pagitt said. “HSI, alongside the St. Petersburg Police Department, are committed to rescuing child victims from these truly disturbed individuals. We will not rest until predators like her are put behind bars and held responsible for their heinous crimes.”
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