MS-13 gang member sentenced to 60 months for obstructing sex trafficking laws

WASHINGTON – A Virginia man was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for obstructing and interfering with the enforcement of federal child sex trafficking laws. This sentenced resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to court documents and statements made at the defendant’s plea hearing, in July 2011, Victor Manuel Contreras, 29, of Manassas, Virginia, engaged in chats via Facebook with a minor female. In those chats, the minor female indicated a desire to run away from home, and Contreras said he would help her if she did so. Once the girl ran away from home, Contreras arranged for her to stay with other MS-13 gang members, who subsequently coerced her into prostitution. When law enforcement officers interviewed Contreras during their search for the girl, Contreras lied about his relationship with her, and then called other MS-13 gang members to warn them law enforcement officers were looking for her.