Cedar Rapids woman charged in human trafficking teen case pleads to lesser charges

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids woman accused of trafficking a Dubuque teen in May 2024 had pleaded to amended and lesser charges and was sentenced to up to eight years in prison.

Tana Renee Torres, 50, originally charged with human trafficking a minor, second-degree sexual abuse and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, made a written guilty plea March 5 to three charges of prostitution and conspiracy to commit prostitution, all aggravated misdemeanors.

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Prosecutors offered Torres a plea to lesser charges if she provided “truthful” testimony against Jarod Earl Anderson, 35, of Hiawatha, during his trial last month in Linn County District Court. He was convicted of human trafficking a minor, which a 2023 law increased the penalty upon conviction to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The jury also found Anderson guilty of third-degree sexual abuse, pimping and two charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. He will be sentenced April 1.

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Sixth Judicial District Judge Ian Thornhill sentenced Torres on March 5. He ran the two-year sentences on each conviction consecutively for up to eight years in prison. Thornhill dismissed the other charges as part of the prosecution’s plea agreement.

Torres, during her testimony at Anderson’s trial, corroborated some of the 17-year-old’s testimony but recalled some portions differently, while admitting she had been intoxicated with liquor and drugs during the incidents.

She said Anderson told her he could “get a lot of money” for the teen and planned to force the girl into having sex for money.

Torres, who admitted to being an alcoholic and to abusing drugs, said when she met Anderson last March in Quincy, Ill., she had “gone past rock bottom” and agreed to be an “escort” but was never paid in money. He paid for her apartment and would provide her with alcohol and drugs, she testified.

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