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Jacksonville woman pleads guilty to smuggling in Mexican national for surrogate pregnancy, forced labor

Jacksonville, FL — The Jacksonville woman accused of smuggling in a Mexican national to serve as a pregnancy surrogate, then forcing the woman in to manual labor while being physically and psychologically abusive, has pleaded guilty.

We first told you about the federal criminal complaint against Esthela Clark in June 2015. Investigators say she paid around $3,000 to smuggle a Mexican woman in to the US, telling the woman she would serve as a surrogate for her pregnancy while under medical supervision. In reality, the court records say Clark tried to inseminate the woman herself by using a plastic syringe and her boyfriend's sperm, performing the procedure on the dining room floor of their Jacksonville apartment. There was no successful insemination.

Court records say Clark also forced the woman in to domestic labor, while being physically and psychologically abusive- including subjecting the victim to an extreme diet that resulted in her losing 65 pounds. The victim’s family was also contacted by Clark in an effort to recover the cost of the smuggling and more. The plea agreement says Clark also told the victim that she would ensure her family and child were hurt if the victim tried to escape.

Clark was indicted on a total of nine counts, including harboring aliens, sale in to involuntary servitude, sex trafficking and more. She has pleaded guilty to one count of forced labor, and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office. The plea agreement says the other charges have been dropped, although the “factual basis” in the court records substantially stands as it did in the indictment. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The federal court docket says Clark’s trial had been scheduled for May.

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