A couple who sex trafficked a younger family member were each sentenced to 18 years in prison on Friday.

Following a six-day jury trial in federal court, Kiersten Soto, 32, and Moises Soto, 33, were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion in connection with the trafficking of a younger relative in their family, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley’s office said in a statement. Kiersten Soto was also convicted of one count of traveling or using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activities.

At trial, prosecutors showed that between February and May 2022, the Sotos “used force, fraud and coercion to traffic the victim for commercial sex” in New England, Foley’s office said. The couple used a website to advertise the victim to sex buyers across the region.

Kiersten Soto regularly threatened the victim with violence, abandonment and involuntary commitment to a facility, according to the statement. Moises Soto, a former MMA fighter, used extreme violence against the victim if she didn’t make enough money, including beatings and assaults.

Videos taken on the couple’s phones show them cornering the victim in their home, threatening and berating her and calling her a snitch. All this took place while the victim went through drug withdrawals, according to the statement.

“Kiersten and Moises Soto built their so-called livelihood off of brutality and control. The Sotos compounded their cruelty by recording the abuse – immortalizing the victim’s trauma for their own depraved purposes,” Foley said in the statement.

The family member eventually escaped and sought refuge with a person who had paid to have sex with her, according to court documents.

“Think about how desperate [the victim] must have been and how devoid of support she was, that in a situation so desperate, the only person she could turn to for help, also happened to be one of her sex buyers,” court documents state.

Prior to the sentencing hearing, Moises Soto’s lawyers painted a picture of a father who wanted the chance to rebuild relationships with his children, who will be adults by the time he is released from prison. His lawyers were asking for a sentencing of 15 years in prison, which is the minimum sentence.

“To be clear, the argument is not that Mr. Soto deserves to be reunited with his family now or that he was a good family member during the offense period. Rather, after 15 years of incarceration and treatment, he will have the opportunity to rebuild relationships with his children as adults,” court documents read.

His lawyer stated that a longer sentence “would not promote rehabilitation or protect the public.”

Family members said Moises Soto became heavily addicted to drugs about a year leading up to his arrest. Prior to that, he maintained a disciplined lifestyle focused on fitness and martial arts. According to family, “he didn’t believe in drinking alcohol and using drugs as he wouldn’t even go near it.”

“I don’t know how someone with so much drive, passion, and brains could just walk away from so much,” one family member wrote.

Since his arrest, his lawyer states, he has worked to better himself by walking six miles to his job at Walmart, remaining sober and traveling to Worcester to visit with his children, who are now in DCF custody, and bringing them diapers.

But addiction isn’t an excuse, prosecutors state.

“… it is particularly shameful that two defendants who knew exactly how powerful opioid addiction was and knew exactly how it felt to withdraw and be dope sick, used [the victim’s] addiction to force her to prostitute for them,” officials wrote. “Addiction is not a pass to brutalize others. Weaponizing someone else’s addiction despite knowing how powerful it can be is even more egregious.”

Prosecutors were asking for 18 years in prison, adding that the couple’s “crimes were truly horrific, and they both deserve a serious sentence of imprisonment.”

Following incarceration, the husband and wife will be on supervised release for 5 years. They are also ordered to pay $138,000 in restitution.