Federal prosecutors said two teenage girls were recovered after a theft report led Omaha police to signs of trafficking at a hotel.
OMAHA, NE — A Colombian woman and a Venezuelan man were sentenced Monday in federal court in Omaha for their roles in the sex trafficking of two minors, ending one stage of a case that began with a theft report at a local hotel.
Michel Daiana Martinez-Gonzalez, 29, of Colombia, received 210 months in prison, or 17 years and six months. Alfredo Manuel Zambrano-Hurtado, 26, of Venezuela, received 180 months, or 15 years. Federal prosecutors said both were involved in the trafficking of two girls, ages 15 and 16, who had been brought to Omaha from out of state. The case remains active because another defendant, Eduardo Jose Perdomo, is scheduled to be sentenced July 20.
U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the sentences after Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon imposed them July 6. Martinez-Gonzalez was sentenced for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor by force. Zambrano-Hurtado was sentenced for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Each also was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after prison. Federal officials said there is no parole in the federal system. Woods said Homeland Security Investigations “freed these children” when agents and officers dismantled the operation.
The investigation began Jan. 6, 2025, when Omaha police responded to a theft report. Officers said they found signs of sex trafficking and brought in the Omaha Police Department-Homeland Security Investigations Human Trafficking Task Force. Investigators recovered the two girls at an AmericInn hotel in Omaha. Prosecutors said Zambrano-Hurtado transported Perdomo and the minors to Nebraska from out of state so the girls could be sold for commercial sex. Zambrano-Hurtado later admitted he transported one of the minors for commercial sex acts on at least two occasions and helped keep watch at the hotel.
According to prosecutors, the two girls reported that Perdomo and Martinez-Gonzalez advertised them online for commercial sex and arranged sex acts with buyers. Martinez-Gonzalez admitted she knew the victims were minors and knew of an arrangement involving hotel employees, prosecutors said. She also admitted paying a man in the Dominican Republic to rent two online commercial sex advertisement pages. Prosecutors said Martinez-Gonzalez first claimed one page was for her own prostitution work and the other was rented to Perdomo. They said she later used the minors for clients who responded to her page. The public record does not identify the minors, and officials did not release more details about their current condition.
The Omaha case has included allegations tied to the AmericInn at 2920 S. 13th Court. In May, Kavankumar Patel, 27, of Gujarat, India, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Prosecutors said Patel was an AmericInn employee and admitted using money from the hotel till to pay traffickers to have sex with one of the minors at the hotel. Prosecutors said hotel employees allowed the traffickers and minors to remain at the property for multiple days while online ads were posted and commercial sex acts were arranged.
Federal officials said the girls reported having little food and feeling they had no choice but to follow directions. Prosecutors also said the minors were told they had to engage in sex with hotel staff for a reduced room rate or would be forced to leave the hotel. The sentences announced Monday add to the punishments already issued in the broader case. Martinez-Gonzalez and Zambrano-Hurtado also were each ordered to pay a $10,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Prosecutors said both entered the United States illegally in 2022.
The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, a federal effort that includes agencies working together on trafficking, smuggling and related crimes. Officials said HSTF Omaha includes agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Omaha Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska is leading the prosecution. Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini said the agency’s top duty is “safeguarding children from exploitation.”
The case now moves toward Perdomo’s sentencing, which is set for July 20 before Bataillon. Federal officials have not announced any additional sentencings in the case beyond those already scheduled or completed.
Author note: Last updated July 7, 2026.