A couple in Florida has been arrested for posting women’s bonds to free them from jail before branding them like cattle and forcing them into prostitution.

Joselito Martinez Gonzalez, 34, and Tanya Wurster, 30, allegedly branded two of three women with tattoos and forced them to have “commercial sex dates” while their young child was in the house.

This is according to the authorities in Central Florida, who believe there could be more victims, with investigators saying: “Martinez and Wurster have a minor child together and according to testimony, the child was often present in the home while the commercial sex dates were occurring.”

Human trafficking agents from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, which is a task force made up of law enforcement officers from Orange and Osceola Counties, arrested Martinez and Wurster on Wednesday, 19th July, it has emerged.

They are now actively working to find out if there are other victims, saying: “MBI is asking if anyone has information about other victims or information about the defendants’ criminal acts to contact MBI, Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS, or their local law enforcement agency.”

Martinez and Wurster face felony charges over the alleged tattoo brandings and forced prostitution, said to have taken place from 2019 to 2021.

The pair allegedly used drugs, threats of violence, as well as humiliating practices such as shaving their victims’ heads to keep them under control, and forcing them to engage in “commercial sex acts with customers”.

They are also accused of advertising the women online and are thought to have made as much as USD 300,000 (GBP 232,458) over a two-year period.

The names of the victims have not been released.

The investigation is ongoing