American Wellness influencer Kat Torres has been sentenced to eight years in prison for human trafficking and slavery of one of two Brazilian women who went missing in September 22.
The families of both missing women had launched a search party along with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, FBI however they later discovered that the women were living with Torres.
According to several international media outlets, Kat Torres was a social butterfly who partied with A-list stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio as well she graced the cover of several magazines. It is believed Torres lured her victims to her home for sexual exploitation using her charm.
One of the victim described her reaction upon stumbling across Torres’ instagram page in 2017;
“She kind of resembled hope for me,” says Ana
Ana was not one of the missing women targeted in the FBI search – but she too was a victim of Torres’ coercion and would be key to their rescue.
She says she was attracted to Torres’ trajectory from impoverished Brazilian favela to international catwalks, partying with Hollywood A-listers along the way.
Torres’ wellness website and subscription service promised customers: “Love, money and self-esteem that you always dreamed of.” Self-help videos offered advice on relationships, wellness, business success and spirituality – including hypnosis, meditation and exercise programmes.
For an extra $150 (£120) clients could unlock exclusive one-to-one video consultations with Torres during which she would claim to solve any of their problems.
Amanda, another former client who lives in the Brazilian capital, says Kat made her feel special.
“All my doubts, my questions, my decisions: I always took them to her first, so that we could make decisions together,” she says.
Ana noted that when she arrived at Torres’ apartment she quickly realised it did not match the curated perfection projected on the influencer’s Instagram.
“It was shocking because the house was really messy, really dirty, didn’t smell good,” she says.
Ana says Torres seemed unable to do even basic things without her, like taking a shower, because she couldn’t bear to be alone. She describes having to constantly be available for Torres, only being allowed to sleep for a few hours at a time, on a sofa covered in cat urine.
Subsequently, the BBC conducted an interview with Torres since her arrest and she has denied any misconduct and also stated that she cannot control what people believe. She has since been sentenced to 8 years in a Brazilian prison.
