Fifth suspect charged in multi-county sex trafficking investigation
TAMPA - Investigators have arrested a fifth suspect accused of being involved in a sex trafficking ring operated out of massage parlors and barbershops in two Bay Area counties.
According to an arrest affidavit, Santiago Moreno, 53, dropped off and picked up human trafficking victims "near daily" from four businesses at the center of the investigation in Hillsborough and Manatee counties.
Moreno is the biological father of Andres Payne, who also faces charges in the case, along with Payne's mother, Lina Payne, and two others: Sebastion Juardo and Karen McGlynn.
Mugshot courtesy of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) detectives say Lina Payne ran the entire operation dating at least as far back as 2019, luring women from South America to work at massage parlors and barbershops and then forcing them into prostitution.
Her son, Andres Payne, is suspected of having direct contact with those women.
Moreno's arrest came after investigators tracked his SUV, saying he used it to drive to all four businesses involved in the operation while also working as a Lyft driver.
Moreno faces charges of deriving support from proceeds of prostitution, transporting for prostitution and RICO charges. Records show he was released from the Hillsborough County Jail on bond.
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