LOWELL, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A woman was indicted last week and then arrested Wednesday in connection with trafficking women for sex and advertising their services online.
Alba Andino, 36, of Lowell, was indicted on March 26 by a Middlesex County Grand Jury on charges of trafficking persons for sexual servitude and deriving support from prostitution, according to the attorney general's office. She was then arrested Wednesday morning in Lowell.
Officials say that Andino lured women into prostitution and allegedly posted ads on Backpage.com to advertise sexual services. Andino was allegedly in charge of booking appointments for the women at hotels and client's homes. She also coordinated their transportation, all the while, making money off the business.
âWe allege that this defendant targeted vulnerable women and trapped them in a life of prostitution, personally profiting from this activity,â said Attorney General Maura Healey. âThis is another example of Backpage being used to facilitate the exploitation of young women. Our office is committed to combatting human trafficking from every angle, and will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who profit from the sexual exploitation of others.â
The attorney general's office said the investigation started in November of 2014 after they received a tip from the Lowell Police Department and Middlesex District Attorney's Office.
Healey filed an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court in Boston hoping that a case against Backpage.com would be launched.
Andino is due in court next on Thursday for her arraignment.
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
