Oklahoma Pastor Gets 30-Year Sentence for Trafficking

Oklahoma pastor Elmer Baca Flores was sentenced to 30 years in prison after a jury convicted him of 13 counts of human trafficking for forced labor, along with charges involving lewd acts with a child, lewd proposals to a child and sexual battery. Investigators said he pressured church members to leave their jobs and homes and work for him without pay, threatening them with physical harm and claiming ties to MS-13. Authorities also said Flores exploited his role as a spiritual leader, framing sexual acts as tests of faith or resistance to temptation; one victim said he sexually battered her during such a test. Flores was ordered to register as a sex offender and faces deportation.