Kat Torres: From fame with diCaprio to prison for trafficking

Years ago, a model, Kat Torres, caught the attention of none other than Leonardo DiCaprio, if her claims are to be believed, which brought her brief fame. Now, she is in the spotlight again as she has been sentenced to eight years in prison for human trafficking and slavery.

The lives of stars and celebrities might seem idyllic and full of luxury. Every day, smiling faces that appear to live in a world of endless fun and success look at us from television screens and glossy magazine covers. However, often behind this perfect image lies a reality far from ideal. Many stars grapple with problems that are not visible at first glance.

Her fans believed Kat Torres led a perfect life. The model ran a website dedicated to health and promised her fans love and money, among other things. They could also benefit from individual online meetings with their idol. In 2017, Ana, a student from Brazil at a university in Boston, visited the site.

She seemed like she had overcome violence in her childhood, abuse, all these traumatic experiences. She was on the cover of magazines. She was seen with famous people such as Leonardo DiCaprio. Everything I saw seemed credible - she said in an interview with the BBC.

Two years later, Kat asked Ana to become her assistant and live with her. For £1,600 per month, she was to cook, clean, and care for animals. When Ana arrived at Torres's flat, she realised that the life shown online was far from reality. The flat was messy, and she had to sleep on a couch smelling of cat urine. Fortunately, she managed to escape after three months.

In 2020, the model married 21-year-old Zach and moved with him to the suburbs of Austin. At that time, she decided to recruit her most loyal fans to work for her. Desirrê Freitas, Leticia Maia, and Sol had no idea that crossing the threshold of the mansion would start their nightmare. Their passports were taken away, and they could not leave the room. Sol was supposed to be sent to a brothel but managed to escape. The other two girls stayed with Kat and were forced into prostitution, with one of them allegedly subjected to spells. Only after two years did the families of the missing girls begin a thorough search. The FBI got involved in the case. By the end of 2022, thanks to the investigators, the victims were sent home.

At the beginning of July 2024, Kat Torres was sentenced to eight years in prison for human trafficking and slavery. She appealed the verdict, maintaining her innocence.

When I was seeing the people testifying, they were saying so many lies. So many lies that at one point, I couldn't stop laughing. People are saying I am a fake guru, but at the same time, they are also saying that… ‘She is a danger to society because she can change people’s mind with her words. (…) You choose to believe whatever you choose to believe. I can tell you I'm Jesus. And you can see Jesus, or you can see the devil, that’s it. It's your choice. It's your mind - she explained to the BBC.