Libertas International

Medellín, Colombia

Miguel Sierra, from California, was sentenced last week to 18.5 years in prison for the crime of human trafficking and s*xual exploitation of a minor.

Miguel would travel to Colombia to find vulnerable girls to abuse, including a 14 year old child. During one of his trips, he was arrested at the airport and CSAM was also discovered on his phone.

During the investigation, Miguel and members of Miguel’s team attempted to threaten witnesses using the threat of violence if the children didn’t change their story and recite a script on behalf of Sierra.

We applaud the bravery of these survivors for not succumbing to these threats and the attempt of these people to exploit holes in the system.

We applaud the efforts of the authorities who continue to work to make Colombia a safer place for its women and children.

Bannok County, Idaho 🖊️

A former church leader is expected to plead guilty to allegations of giving children naked massages in exchange for getting an amended charge that would not require him to register as a s*x offender.

Virgil Larson, 47, was initially charged in September 2024 with five counts of felony s*xual abuse of a child under 16 years of age.

At his sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled, both parties will be able to argue for an underlying prison sentence, but the prosecution has agreed to recommend that the prison sentence be suspended, and that Larson be given nothing harsher than 30 years of probation.

The agreement is non-binding, meaning the court is not required to follow the parties’ recommendations and may sentence Larson to whatever the judge deems just.

On July 3, 2024, a Bannock County Sheriff’s deputy was told of a possible s*xual abuse case after “several boys had possibly been touched inappropriately by a neighbor and church leader who was giving them massages.”

Court documents say Larson was the first counselor in the leadership of his local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ward.

Three minors reported the abuse to their ward bishop. The sheriff’s office learned about the abuse from the Kirton McConkie Law Office in Lehi, Utah, which represents the church, according to police reports.

The law office disclosed the information to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

When being interviewed by officers, Larson claimed he currently worked in finance but stated he “initially worked for a physical therapist and thought that was what he wanted to do before he settled on finance. ”

When they arrived, they entered a bedroom with a massage table, and Larson reportedly locked the door. According to court documents, the victim “got scared and started praying.”

Larson reportedly requested that the child take off all of his clothes because “it was better to have skin-to-skin contact during the massage.”