The Brazilian influencer Kat Torres, famous for her wellness advice on Instagram, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday, July 16. Behind a glamorous image lay a dark reality: prostitution and kidnapping. More than twenty victims were deceived by her promises of a dream life.
Kat Torres, whose real name is Katiuscia Torres Soares, had a million followers on Instagram. A former model, she had reinvented herself as a wellness guru. She offered meditation and hypnosis sessions to attract money and love. Her services were available through a paid subscription on her website, with consultations billed at 150 dollars.
However, several women reported abuses. Attracted by her success story, they were exploited and kidnapped. Among the victims, two young Brazilian women who disappeared in 2022 particularly drew attention.
A former roommate of Torres, interviewed by the BBC, described her change in behavior after entering the Hollywood scene and her first experiences with ayahuasca, a hallucinogen.
In the United States, Torres offered positions as live-in assistants, like Ana, who left her studies to work for her. Quickly, Ana discovered unsanitary living conditions and fled after three months without pay.
In 2022, Torres recruited three other women in Texas, forcing them into prostitution and to work as strippers. They were terrified by her alleged spiritual powers and did not dare to flee.
The families of two victims alerted the authorities via social media. Found through profiles on prostitution sites, they were repatriated to Brazil, where Torres was tried. More than twenty women now accuse the influencer, who maintains her innocence and plans to appeal.