Editor’s note: This article contains content that some readers may find disturbing.
A Wisconsin mother in the United States illegally has been convicted of sex trafficking her 12-year-old daughter after accepting $250 from her boyfriend and arranging for the older man to sexually assault the girl last May, according to a criminal complaint.
Elia Antonio pleaded guilty on May 12 to trafficking a child, failing to protect a child and two misdemeanor bail-jumping counts, as WLUK reported earlier this week. The 34-year-old mother faces the possibility of 52 years in prison, and her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 21.
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The plea hearing for Antonio’s boyfriend, Juan Rocha-Mejia, who is also residing in the U.S. illegally, is set for June 10, according to WLUK. Rocha-Mejia is expected to stand trial on June 23.
“Today is a step towards justice for the survivor and holding the defendant accountable for her despicable actions involving her own child,” Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said in a statement about the case.
According to the criminal complaint, the 12-year-old victim told law enforcement on May 19, 2024, that Antonio and Rocha-Mejia were involved in an incident the previous day that the girl said resulted in her mom’s boyfriend having sexual contact with the minor’s clothing. Rocha-Mejia is over the age of 18, according to the report.
Investigators learned that the mother and her boyfriend are unlawfully in the U.S. and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on the pair.
The victim stated that Antonio instructed her to get in a van, later telling authorities that her mother claimed to be pregnant and that they were driving to the hospital. Before the pair left, Antonio instructed her daughter to wear something nice and refused to bring her younger child with her to the hospital when the other girl asked to come.
“Victim 1 also stated that when they were in the car, she initially sat in the front and ELIA told her to sit all the way in the back and that there were sweatshirts and blankets back there,” the complaint reads.
“Victim 1 also stated that she had a phone and ELIA told her to hide the phone but she did not know where to so ELIA hid it,” the document continues. “Victim 1 said she did not know why she had to hide the phone and was confused. Victim 1 stated before the phone was hidden she saw that ELIA had been texting someone and was messaging JUAN on What’s App.”
The 12-year-old eventually fell asleep, and when she woke up, she saw that they were at Rocha-Mejia’s house. While Antonio went inside the residence, Rocha-Mejia took over driving the vehicle.
After calling Antonio to complain that the vehicle barely had any gas, Rocha-Mejia crawled from the front of the vehicle and into the back, and he attempted to blindfold the girl, but she resisted. He also tried to tape the girl’s hands, but she managed to fight him off.
“VICTIM 1 stated she continued pushing JUAN away and kicking and scratching at him. VICTIM 1 stated she was kicking him in the stomach area and below and was scratching at his arms,” the complaint explains. “VICTIM 1 also stated she was screaming at JUAN, telling him to stop touching her. VICTIM 1 referred to JUAN ‘touching her lower parts.'”
According to the report, the victim confirmed that her mother’s boyfriend didn’t succeed in removing any of her clothing and that there was no penetration.
At one point, Rocha-Mejia allegedly tried to make the girl faint by pressing a shirt against her nose and mouth, and while it was hard to breathe, the victim later told authorities that she controlled her breathing the way she was taught to do when playing sports. As her attacker held the shirt over her mouth and nose, the girl bit Rocha-Mejia’s hand before crawling to the car door.
She managed to hit the button to open the door and nearly fell out of the van, according to the victim’s statement to law enforcement. The girl ran away to a residence on Breakneck Road and the authorities were called.
At the time of the incident, the girl’s mother was out on bail for two cases, one of which involved charges related to possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Another case involved charges of possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor bail jumping, according to the report.
“As part of ELIA’s conditions of release on bail in both cases, ELIA had conditions that included not to commit any new crimes,” the document states.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
