An Instagram influencer, Kat Torres, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for human trafficking and slavery of a young Brazilian woman.

Torres, a former model who was once seen with celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, groomed her followers and lured them into sexual exploitation according to BBC reports.

In September 2022, two young Brazilian women went missing. Their families and the FBI launched a search across the US, knowing only that the women were living with Kat Torres.

Torres has now been convicted for trafficking one of these women, and charges have been filed for a second woman.

“She kind of resembled hope for me,” said Ana, one of Torres’ victims who helped in the rescue. Ana, who moved to New York to work as Torres’ live-in assistant in 2019, was attracted to Torres’ story of overcoming a tough childhood to become successful.

Ana, like many others, was in a vulnerable situation. She had suffered a violent childhood, moved to the US alone, and had been in an abusive relationship.

Torres’ autobiography and her media appearances made Ana believe in her. “She was on the cover of magazines. She was seen with famous people such as Leonardo DiCaprio. Everything I saw seemed credible,” Ana explained.

However, the inspirational story Torres told was based on lies. Her ex-flatmate, Luzer Twersky, revealed that Torres was introduced to the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca, which changed her behavior drastically. “That’s when she kind of… started going off the deep end,” Twersky said. He also believed she was working as a “sugar baby,” being paid for romantic involvement with wealthy men.

Torres’ wellness website and subscription service promised clients “love, money, and self-esteem.” For $150, clients could get exclusive video consultations with Torres. Amanda, another former client, said, “All my doubts, my questions, my decisions: I always took them to her first, so that we could make decisions together.”

Ana moved to New York to work for Torres, looking after her animals and doing housework for $2,000 a month. She described how Torres’ influence made her feel special but isolated her from friends and family.