OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — An Oklahoma City pastor was sentenced to 30 years in prison after a jury convicted him of labor trafficking and crimes involving minors.
Investigators said Elmer Baca Flores used threats and his position as a pastor to control victims and, in some cases, coerce them into sexual acts. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said the case resulted in the state’s first prison sentence for forced labor trafficking.
“We were able to substantiate through interviews that this person was using fear to force these families to basically do whatever he wanted,” spokesperson for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Mark Woodward said.
Investigators said Flores pressured victims to quit their jobs, move into the church and work for him without pay. Woodward said Flores also threatened his victims with fear tactics, claiming he had ties to the MS-13 gang.
“If they didn’t do what he told them to do, that they would be hurt , so they felt their lives were going to be in danger,” he said.
Woodward said Flores used his role as a pastor to manipulate victims and framed sexual acts as tests of victims’ faith, spiritual strength and ability to resist temptation.
“He made them believe his victims were following God’s will, and that’s how one incident led to a sexual battery charge” Woodward said. “That’s how this person, and oftentimes predators, convince people.”
The bureau began investigating Flores in March 2025 after victims shared allegations with a certified nonprofit service provider, who contacted investigators, Woodward said.
Flores was arrested in April 2025 on three counts of lewd acts with a child. The case later included human trafficking and sexual battery charges.
A jury convicted Flores on Nov. 3 of 13 counts of human trafficking for labor, one count of lewd acts with a child under 16, two counts of lewd proposals to a child and one count of sexual battery.
“The courage and bravery of these victims, and their willingness to share their stories, was key to securing Oklahoma’s first prison sentence for forced labor trafficking,” he said.
Flores was also ordered to register as a sex offender and will face deportation, authorities said.
Source: okcfox.com
