Former Guam resident admits to promoting prostitution of female teens

Former Guam resident, 54-year old Kenneth Tenorio, now residing in National City, California was recently sentenced to 106 months in federal court for transporting two female teens from San Diego to Phoenix, Arizona and Texas, for the purpose of prostitution.

According to court records, Tenorio’s conduct spanned multiple states and involved multiple victims, including juveniles. Documents state that Tenorio exploited women and minors who had been removed from their homes and placed in the foster care system as part of his overall scheme to profit from their commercial sex work. 

Tenorio, who was once an MMA fighter, pleaded guilty on Aug. 8, 2023, admitting that he transported the two teens of his for the purpose of offering them for commercial sex for his own financial gain. 

In a media release, it notes how Tenorio used his Megapersonals account, a dating website that is frequently used to solicit prostitution, to post commercial sex advertisements featuring the two victims wearing lingerie. 

Tenorio expected his victims to provide him with a portion of the proceeds they earned from engaging in commercial sex acts.

According to his plea agreement, in 2020 he detailed trafficking a 15-year old female by sending text messages to her for the purpose of recruiting and enticing her to engage in prostitution.

U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Bencivengo criticized Tenorio for his treatment of victims, saying, “You just took advantage of their vulnerabilities to put money in your pocket.” 

The investigation to bring Tenorio to justice was led by Homeland Security Investigations, the Chula Vista Police Department, and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.