After spending a decade behind bars at the Hilltop Unit in Gatesville, Texas, Phyllis Sentiva Ochoa — the woman who went viral for creating an earworm rap dedicated to San Antonio — is scheduled to be released next week on parole.
Ochoa, 35, released the song in 2015 under her rap name, “PMuney.” Over the years, the catchy track has become so popular that many San Antonio residents consider it the unofficial social media anthem of the Alamo City.
However, Ochoa said she’s ready to move on from what she described as one of the “darkest parts” of her life. While she was on the run in Arizona on the charges for which she is now incarcerated, she recorded herself performing the freestyle rap.
“When I got to Arizona, I started missing San Antonio, so that’s when I did the song,” she told MySA in a June 19 report. “I’ve always liked music because it was a way to express myself.”
In 2016, Ochoa was arrested, extradited to Texas and convicted of aggravated robbery and human trafficking of a minor. She was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Looking back, Ochoa said the song is tied to a painful chapter of her life.
“That song came out during the worst time in my life,” Ochoa told MySA. “I’m looking forward to putting the darkest parts of my life behind me.”
According to an April 22 report from KSAT 12, Ochoa said the victim involved in her aggravated robbery charge is a man who didn’t pay her after hiring her for sex: “He came over and my friends beat him up or whatever, and we robbed him,” she said.
When it comes to her human trafficking charge, Ochoa said that came from introducing women to prostitution: “I would always flash my money and things like that so they knew, and they were like, ‘dang girl, I wanna make money like that, too,’” Ochoa told KSAT 12, noting that she didn’t realize one of the girls she introduced was 16. “I thought that I was helping and that’s where my mind was messed up.”
Ochoa said she’s ready to move forward after taking responsibility for her actions. Because her human trafficking conviction involved a minor, she will be required to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison. Records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice also show she is enrolled in a sex offender education program.
“I want to take accountability and responsibility. I have a son, and I owe him that much, and to my victims as well,” she told KSAT 12 in an April 22 interview.
Ochoa said she plans to return to San Antonio after her release next week for a fresh start. She hopes to attend culinary school, become a pastry chef, advocate for abused women and continue writing faith-based music.
“I’m going to take the rest of the year to focus on myself (and) get comfortable getting back into the world,” she told MySA. “I want to take it slow.”