Kat Torres, a former Brazilian model turned US-based wellness influencer, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for human trafficking and enslaving women. The FBI investigation into Torres began after two women who had been living with her went missing in 2022.
Several women have since come forward to share their harrowing experiences. Speaking to the BBC, they recounted how Torres lured them in with her rags-to-riches story, transforming from a poor neighborhood in Brazil to mingling with Hollywood celebrities.
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Kat Torres, once rumored to be dating actor Leonardo DiCaprio, claimed to possess spiritual powers and frequently appeared on Brazilian TV shows.
“She was on the cover of magazines. She was seen with famous people such as Leonardo DiCaprio. Everything I saw seemed credible,” a woman named Ana told the BBC.
Drugs and Kat Torres
Torres’ former flatmate, who lived with her in New York, revealed that Kat Torres was introduced to the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca by her Hollywood friends. This drug helped Torres reinvent herself as a life coach and hypnotist. She subsequently launched a wellness website and subscription service promising clients “love, money, and self-esteem.” Kat Torres also created self-help videos and offered one-on-one video consultations for $150.
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In 2019, Ana moved to New York to work as Torres’ live-in assistant, escaping a violent childhood and an abusive relationship. Despite being promised $2000 a month, Ana found herself in a filthy home, forced to sleep on a sofa covered in cat urine, and working long hours without pay. She eventually escaped, only for Kat Torres to hire two more women, Desirre and Leticia, who moved with her to Texas. What began as a life coaching and healing retreat quickly turned into a nightmare.
Forced to work as prostitutes
Desirre was soon pressured into working at a local strip club and later into prostitution. Torres performed “witchcraft” on her and enforced strict rules, including forbidding the women from speaking to each other and requiring permission to leave their rooms. If Desirre didn’t meet Torres’ earning quotas, she was forced to sleep on the streets. “I ended up sleeping on the street several times because I couldn’t reach that,” Desirre told the BBC.
In September, the friends and family of the two women launched social media campaigns to find them. To escape the media attention, Torres took the women from Texas to Maine, where they were coerced into posting Instagram videos denying their captivity and demanding an end to the search efforts.
Over 20 women have come forward with stories of being scammed or exploited by Torres, many of whom are still undergoing psychiatric therapy to recover from their experiences.
