A Bridgeport woman has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to charges connected to three minors who were sex trafficked at a hotel in Norwalk.
Teresa Martinez, 39, faced sentencing last Friday in Stamford Superior Court where Judge Colleen Zingaro handed down a 15-year prison term, suspended after service of six years, followed by five years of probation, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.
On Aug. 12, Martinez pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking in persons and risk of injury to a minor. According to DCJ officials, the pleas were part of a deal offered by prosecutors which had originally called for service of nine years in prison.
Investigators allege that Martinez arranged for three minors to be transported from Bridgeport to a hotel in Norwalk “for purposes of engaging in prostitution,” officials said. The allegations date back to late 2020 and involved victims who were all under 18 years old, including one who was younger than 16, according to the DCJ.
One of the minors told investigators that Martinez had arranged for an unnamed co-defendant to pay $200 in exchange for sexual services, authorities said. Martinez allegedly kept $100 and gave the other $100 to the minor, according to officials.
Investigators with the Norwalk Police Department interviewed all three minors and were able to corroborate the dates they provided by reviewing hotel records, which showed when the co-defendant would rent a room, paying cash on the day of check-in, according to the DCJ. The co-defendant’s case remains pending, authorities said.
“The Stamford/Norwalk State’s Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Norwalk Police Department, particularly Det. Patrick English for his hard work and dedication to this extensive and difficult investigation,” DCJ officials wrote in a statement.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Margaret Moscati and State’s Attorney Ferencek, with the assistance of Inspector Martin O’Reilly.