An El Paso attorney who represented clients caught in prostitution cases has found himself on the wrong side of the law, charged with soliciting those same clients for sexual acts as part of a sprawling human trafficking investigation that spanned multiple countries.
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, working alongside Homeland Security Investigations, has arrested nine individuals in connection with an international human trafficking network that forced Cuban women into prostitution to pay off smuggling debts. Among those arrested was Mario Ortiz Saroldi, 38, an El Paso attorney who allegedly solicited sexual acts from the very clients he was representing in court.
International Network Uncovered
The year-long investigation revealed a sophisticated operation that moved victims from Cuba through Central America and Mexico before bringing them into the El Paso area. Once in the United States, the women were coerced into prostitution as a method of repaying their smugglers.
“Investigators uncovered an international network of human smugglers and traffickers operating from Cuba through Central America and Mexico into the El Paso area,” authorities said. “Female victims from Cuba were reportedly forced into prostitution to repay smugglers who brought them into the United States. Different co-conspirators were responsible for advertising victims online and transporting them to distinct locations throughout El Paso to engage in prostitution.”
The case took a particularly disturbing turn when investigators discovered that Ortiz Saroldi, who was representing some of the women in court on prostitution charges, was allegedly soliciting those same clients for sex.
Multiple Arrests, Multiple Charges
Who else was caught in the enforcement net? The operation also led to the arrests of Yasiel Rodriguez-Amaro, 31, and Katherine Ventura-Amaro, 37, both of El Paso. The pair face charges of aggravated promotion of prostitution, online promotion of prostitution, and possession of controlled substances.
In total, the nine individuals arrested face a range of charges including prostitution, aggravated promotion of prostitution, online promotion of prostitution, possession of controlled substances, alien inadmissibility, solicitation of prostitution, and engaging in organized criminal activity.
The investigation appears to be part of a broader crackdown on prostitution in the region. In a related but separate operation, DPS and partner agencies apprehended 11 additional individuals specifically for solicitation of prostitution in El Paso.
Coordinated Law Enforcement Effort
That operation included collaboration from multiple agencies, including the El Paso Police Department, United States Army CID, and the District Attorney’s Office — highlighting the increasing focus on targeting both suppliers and customers in prostitution cases.
“Operations like this one highlight the department’s continued collaboration with our law enforcement partners to keep Texas communities safe,” said DPS West Texas Region Chief Jose Sanchez.
The 11 individuals arrested in that operation ranged in age from 19 to 43 and were all booked into the El Paso County Jail. They include Oscar Salinas, 39; Long Thanh Tran, 43; and nine others, all facing solicitation charges.
For law enforcement officials, these arrests represent not just individual crimes but the dismantling of a cross-border criminal enterprise that exploited vulnerable women. The investigation shows how human trafficking operations can embed themselves within seemingly legitimate institutions — in this case, even the legal system itself.
