Investigators charge lover, son of Tampa woman accused of being a ‘Madam’ running sex trafficking operation
TAMPA - Attorneys for a Tampa woman accused of being a ‘madam’ told a Hillsborough County judge on Wednesday that Lina Payne is not guilty of charges she ran a human trafficking and prostitution ring out of her massage parlors and barbershop.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigators arrested Payne, who they say ran the entire operation in both Hillsborough and Manatee counties going back to at least 2019. They also arrested her "lover," Sebastion Juardo, and her son, Andres Payne, on charges they participated in her enterprise.
Arresting documents accuse Payne of luring women from South America to work at massage parlors and barbershops and then forcing them into prostitution.
Investigators said Andres Payne worked with his mom to run the family business and had direct contact with the women who were forced into prostitution.
During surveillance operations of the barbershop in Tampa, investigators said they observed Juardo bringing in women rolling their suitcases behind them.
The charges stem, in part, from an operation to crack down on human trafficking by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in October 2023, where they arrested several johns and rescued women from at least one location tied to Payne.
At the time, Sheriff Rick Wells spoke about the massage parlors and the human trafficking they uncovered.
"We did have one true victim of human trafficking that we know was brought here from another country, and right now she was paying off a debt that was owed for that exchange for her to be here in the U.S.," said Wells.
Arresting documents said a victim told investigators, Payne loaned her $40,000-50,000 to come to the U.S. under the pretense that they work at her spas.
"These women are brought here from different countries they believe they are going to be doing a legitimate business. My goal is to shut down these illegal massage parlors," said Wells.
The women told investigators they had no idea they’d be forced into sex with paying customers.
"We need to pay a lot more attention to what's going on with women involved in prostitution. They're not, for the most part, doing this from a free will. There's always someone behind the scenes that is driving this business for them, and they feel helpless, and they feel like they have no way out," said Wells.
Payne is also facing charges of money laundering. Investigators said she gave her son instructions on how to clean money, adding that she made thousands of dollars off sex trafficking other women.
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