A man arrested Saturday in Baton Rouge held two women against their will in his apartment and forced them to have sex with men for money, police say.
Allbert Javier Herrera Machado, 23, of Venezuela, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on two counts of human trafficking.
According to arrest documents, Herrera Machado had been keeping two women inside his apartment on South Harrell's Ferry Road. Both women told investigators they were being "prostituted to pay off a debt" they each owed the man.
Police began to investigate after receiving a call from a Spanish-speaking woman who turned out to be one of the victims, authorities said.
"(Herrera Machado) would conduct all of the messaging to 'clients' to set up sexual encounters for the victims with several unknown men," the investigator wrote in an affidavit.
Inside his apartment, police found evidence which led them to believe human trafficking had occurred, including stacks of money and several ledger books that appear to document the amount of money the two women made each day.
Authorities confirmed Herrera Machado is not a U.S. citizen. It is unclear whether he has been residing in the country on a valid visa but an EBRSO spokesperson said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on Herrera Machado.
The man gave victims consequences if they did not do what they were told, such as adding to the debts both women reportedly owed him, police say.
The victims told investigators Herrera Machado had a partner who was involved in the operation, but they did not know the person's identity.
According to the arrest affidavit, Herrera Machado told police "he needed a job and was only trying to save money."