Bar owner convicted of using teen immigrants as sex slaves

McALLEN — They came to this country with a promise of highly paid restaurant work.

But when they got here, three Honduran minors found themselves forced into skimpy clothes, drinking beer with much older men and sometimes compelled to have sex with them.

On Thursday, a federal jury convicted the man responsible.

The panel only deliberated briefly before finding Beleal Garcia Gonzalez, of Mission, guilty on three counts of sex trafficking and conspiracy and six counts of harboring undocumented immigrants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors alleged throughout his five-day trial that the 35-year-old owner of Bar El Paraiso lured the girls from their homes in Central America and forced them into sex slavery.

The minors — ages 14, 15, and 17 — told jurors they were promised $700 a week working in a U.S. restaurant when they left their home country.

But after crossing the Rio Grande, they instead found themselves shopping for provocative clothing with Garcia at a Melrose outlet store.

Within days, each was put to work at his bar — located on Bentsen Palm Drive, just south of 5 Mile Line — promised a salary of only $120 a week, much of which they never received.

Garcia told each of the girls they owed $4,500 in smuggling debts which they could work off by selling beer and having sex with customers.

Although he let them keep a portion of their prostitution proceeds, it was the only money they could count on since he rarely paid them their regular salary, prosecutors said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rescued the girls in January, after noticing them walking home from the bar in miniskirts and high heels on a cold and rainy morning.

But defense attorney Oscar Alvarez challenged them during their testimony this week on why they never attempted to leave his client’s employment.

Throughout their time with Garcia, one of the girls conceded, they were well fed and comfortably housed at a stash house near the intersection of Mile 3 Road North and Moorefield Road, north of Palmview.

Alvarez did not return after-hours phone calls Thursday for comment on the jury’s verdict.

Garcia now faces at least a 15-year prison term for each of the sex trafficking counts and up to 10 years in prison for the charges of harboring illegal immigrants. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9.

Four others also arrested for allegedly housing or working with the teens have all pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing later this year.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission revoked Bar El Paraiso’s license shortly after the arrests.