ATLANTA — Three people are facing charges connected to the sex trafficking of a 13-year-old girl in Houston County, according to the Georgia Attorney General's Office.
According to prosecutors and court records, 24-year-old Emma-Lee Garcia of Warner Robins is accused of trafficking the young girl to at least two Houston County men: Noe Borromeo Hernandez and Brian Smith.
They were all indicted by a Houston County grand jury on Wednesday in connection to various sex trafficking and sex crime charges.
The indictment says Garcia would share photos advertising the child, and she would benefit financially from selling the 13-year-old for sex. The Warner Robins native was indicted on five counts of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude.
She arranged lodging for the child at a hotel while facilitating sexual contact with the men.
Then, Hernandez and Smith — both 42 — allegedly purchased the child for sexual purposes. They're accused of molesting the girl and engaging in sexual intercourse with her.
According to the indictment, the sexual encounters occurred back in November 2020 and October 2020.
“Whether a buyer or a seller, those who engage in the sexual exploitation of a child will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," Attorney General Chris Carr said in a press release. "We won’t rest in our pursuit of justice for survivors, and we will continue to send a strong message that Georgia’s children are not for sale.”
They say Hernandez is from Kathleen and Smith is from Perry.
Both face charges of trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, statutory rape and child molestation, according to the Attorney General's Office.
In the press release, the Attorney General's Office says Carr worked with Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly to create a statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in 2019.
Since then, the unit has secured 50 criminal convictions and rescued and assisted nearly 200 children.
This recent case was handled by the unit, which was assisted by the Houston County Sheriff's Office and both the Perry and Warner Robins Police Departments.