The three men accused of a human trafficking case involving underage students may be headed to a joint trial.
During a conference Friday at the Boulder County Court, a trial date was set a year in advance for Mario Moreno, Angelo Torres and Aldair Garcia Rodriguez. The district attorney’s office said they plan to request that the cases be joined for trial if the men plead not guilty.
The three are accused of giving drugs to students in the St. Vrain Valley School District in exchange for sexual acts and money. Moreno faces 59 charges, including sex assault on a child, human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, 22 counts of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor and seven counts of child abuse.
Torres faces one count of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and another count of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor.
Rodrigez faces five charges, including three counts of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude and two counts of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor.
The men were arrested after an investigation by the Longmont Police Department and the district attorney’s office into social media, bank and phone records obtained by search warrants, the DA’s office said.
The lawyers for the three men asked to wait to set a trial date, citing the over 2,500 pages of discovery material in addition to media materials. The judge felt that a year was more than enough time to review.
The three week trial was set to begin May 6, 2024 with motions hearing in February.
Torres and Rodriguez face up to 48 years in prison for the human trafficking charges and up to 32 years for their other felony charges. Moreno faces up to life in prison.
