A female religion teacher has been busted for allegedly trafficking at least two boys, ages 15 and 17, for sex.
Lizamarie Rivera-García, 42, was arrested on Monday, charged with having “recruited, enticed, transported, and maintained” the boys “to engage in commercial sex acts,” according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.
She was apprehended by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after being indicted by a grand jury on numerous sex-trafficking charges that, if found guilty, could result in a prison sentence ranging from a minimum of 50 years to a maximum of life imprisonment.
“A female religion teacher, who had the responsibility to guide our children in principles and beliefs, was instead devising a plan to sexually assault them,” remarked Rebecca C. Gonzalez-Ramos, HSI San Juan’s Special Agent in Charge.
“We cannot let our guard down! Our children are being sexually exploited by people in positions of public trust,” she said.
Rivera-Garcia, of Bayamón outside of San Juan, allegedly trafficked the 15-year-old between December 2023 and October 2024 and the 17-year-old from December 2023 to last November.
No further details were given, including whether the boys were her pupils.
“The sexual exploitation of children robs children of their freedom, dignity and sense of security,” W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, said in a statement.
“Such conduct is unacceptable in our society,” Muldrow added.
Gonzalez-Ramos said that the teens would be provided with the “necessary assistance to overcome this trauma.”
The case will be prosecuted by an assistant attorney with the DHS’s Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit.
