A Mexican woman legally residing in the U.S. has pleaded guilty to prostituting an underage girl out of her Texas restaurant, according to federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said Rita Martinez, 65, admitted last week to sexually soliciting a 16-year-old Mexican girl to male patrons at her cantina in Mission, Texas.

The girl, who lived with Martinez from the spring 2005 until fall 2006, was sent with men from the cantina to engage in paid sex acts.

Prosecutors said Martinez admitted to accepting payments from the men before she let them take the girl for sexual favors. Martinez then used the money to pay down a smuggling debt the girl incurred in order to be brought over from Mexico.

“Behind her cantina, Rita Martinez tormented and forced young migrant women and girls into sexual acts, acts with Rita’s male patrons,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “No one should have to endure that kind of treatment.”

A federal grand jury originally indicted Martinez in February 2022 for coercing 10 victims — both adults and minors — to be prostitutes at her business.

The indictment accused Martinez of saddling the victims with “impossibly high debts” and threatening to report them to immigration. She was also accused of humiliating the girls and dragging them by their hair if they didn’t follow her orders.

Further, Martinez was accused of withholding the women’s access to their children and demanding that they work more to support their kids.    

Genaro Fuentes, Martinez’s 41-year-old son, also pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking a minor in January. He was accused in the indictment of sexually assaulting the cantina’s prostitutes as well.

Martinez ran the cantina from 2000 to 2019. She faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for her crimes.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.