A court in Vienna has acquitted a couple accused of forcing a Venezuelan woman into prostitution and taking her money. The case involved serious allegations of pimping, coercion, and financial exploitation.
The complainant, Vanessa, 32, told the court she was lured to Austria with a promise of a waitress job. Instead, she said she was forced into prostitution by the same group that arranged her travel.
After she left that group, she contacted Daniela, 22, a fellow Venezuelan and former Miss Venezuela candidate, asking for a place to stay. Daniela was living in Vienna with her boyfriend at the time, Ahmed.
From Job Offer to Sex Work
Vanessa testified that she traveled from Venezuela believing she would work as a waitress. Once in Vienna, she said she was pressured into working as a sex worker.
She later cut ties with the group she described as exploitative and claimed she was left with about 1,700 euros and nowhere to live.
She then reached out to Daniela through Instagram. The two women had known each other from beauty pageant circles in Venezuela.
Vanessa asked if she could stay at Daniela and Ahmed’s apartment for two weeks.
Daniela acknowledged that she had previously worked in Vienna’s sex industry in 2017 and had connections to sex clubs in the city.
She told the court that she had warned Vanessa about the realities of working in Austria and said the experience had not been positive for her.
Different Versions of What Happened
According to Daniela, Vanessa chose to continue working as a prostitute while staying at their apartment. Daniela said she helped organize appointments because she still had contact information from a publication known as Kontakt-Bazar. She admitted asking for 30 percent of Vanessa’s earnings in exchange for helping arrange clients.
Daniela told the court that Vanessa had eight clients during the two weeks she stayed at the apartment. She said the clients typically paid 80 euros for half an hour or 150 euros for one hour.
Vanessa gave a very different account. She claimed she was required to pay 60 euros per day in rent to stay in the apartment and that Daniela pressured her to continue working as a sex worker in order to afford the rent and maintain her savings. She also alleged that the couple took all the money she earned.
Ahmed told the court he had little involvement in the situation. He said the apartment was in his name but that he did not speak Spanish and had no direct communication with Vanessa. He denied asking her for rent or taking any money from her.
Messages Presented as Evidence
During the trial, WhatsApp messages between Vanessa and Daniela were presented as evidence. Vanessa stated that all arrangements were discussed through WhatsApp.
However, the judge noted that the messages did not contain threats or clear signs of coercion. Instead, they mainly included reminders about appointments with clients.
The court also questioned inconsistencies in Vanessa’s testimony, particularly regarding the number of clients she claimed to have seen and the details of her financial situation.
Vanessa left Austria in March 2018 using a return ticket she had purchased earlier. She later returned to Austria in May 2019. She filed a criminal complaint against Daniela and Ahmed in January 2020.
Court Finds No Coercion
The case was overseen by Judge Daniel Schmitzberger. After hearing testimony from both sides and reviewing the evidence, the court concluded that there was not enough proof of coercion or pimping.
The judge cited contradictions in Vanessa’s statements and ruled that the accusations could not be substantiated. Daniela and Ahmed were acquitted of all charges related to forcing Vanessa into prostitution or taking her earnings.
The verdict means the court found no criminal coercion had been proven in the case.