Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Man Allegedly Was to Sell Daughter Into Marriage

A Greenfield man is under arrest after police say he allegedly tried to sell his 14-year-old daughter into marriage in return for $16,000, 100 cases of beer and several cases of meat.

According to police, authorities only got wind of the deal after Marcelino de Jesus Martinez, 36, went to them to get his daughter back because payment wasn't made as promised.

Martinez was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, while 18-year-old Margarito de Jesus Galindo was in custody on suspicion of statutory rape. Investigators think the daughter went willingly with Galindo, but she's under California's legal age of consent and can't legally marry.

According to police, arranged marriages involving underage girls have become a problem in this small Central Coast farming community.

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