Gloria Trevi, a Mexican music diva, and her former producer Sergio Andrade were accused of molesting teenage girls in the 1990s. A new civil suit has been filed against the singer by two accusers, both of whom have identified themselves as Jane Does. According to documents obtained by Rolling Stone and investigated by Variety, the victims allege that Trevi and Andrade abused them over a period of many years, starting when they were 13 and 15 respectively. In the action, the two victims identify as “survivors of childhood sexual abuse, violence, sexual assault, maltreatment and abuse” and claim to have experienced “severe mental anguish, worry, discomfort, anger and fear.”
Prior to the most recent indictments, Trevi and Andrade were both convicted in 2000 of sexually assaulting adolescents in the 1990s. Several victims accused them of being involved in a cult-like s*x ring. Gloria Trevi spent four years in a Chihuahua prison before being acquitted of all charges in 2004 for lack of evidence. After her release, she had a successful career while maintaining her innocence. Trevi said during an emotional speech at the 2018 Latin American Music Awards that a “great producer” tortured, tormented and punished her for years and she had to endure “17 years of disgrace”.
Although Trevi did not identify the producer in her speech, she allegedly hinted at Andrade. After waiting four years for his trial, the latter was also convicted of child molestation, but spent only one year in prison.
A look at Gloria Trevi’s legal action
Two anonymous female victims have filed a complaint against Gloria Trevi alleging that the singer groomed and exploited them as children in the early 1990s and bought them for her ex-producer Sergio Andrade. The complaint referred to Trevi as a “renowned and popular pop diva and one of the most acclaimed female musicians in Latin America”, while referring to Andrade as “one of Mexico’s most successful song producers”. The document also referred to Trevi as “Mexico’s Madonna”, while Andrade was referred to as her “behind-the-scenes production ace”.
Prosecutors alleged that the former, when they were 13 and 15 years old, contacted them and enticed them to participate in Andrade’s music training program, claiming it was an exceptional star-making opportunity. They were reportedly transformed into Andrade’s sex slaves and subjected to years of torture, especially in Los Angeles County. According to the 30-page civil lawsuit:
“[Trevi and Andrade] used their position, prestige and power as a well-known and successful Mexican pop artist and a prominent producer to access, groom, control and abuse [the victims] and forcing sexual contact with them for several years.
The court document further stated that a third defendant, who worked as a choreographer, dancer and assistant to Gloria Trevi and Andrade, was also involved in the violation. However, the person was not identified in the file. According to the petition, Jane Doe 1 was 15 years old when her mother accompanied her to a Gloria Trevi event in 1991. The child reportedly sang and danced to Trevi’s songs outside Andrade’s office in Mexico City with other admirers when the singer approached.
Trevi reportedly told her she was “extremely attractive and a very talented dancer” before immediately asking her for an audition. Jane Doe 1 was also offered a residential training program on site and moved to Mexico City to take advantage of the opportunity. According to the complaint, Trevi visited Jane Doe 1 in her Hotel del Bosque room in late 1991 or early 1992 and told her that Andrade was “very furious” about a relationship she had entered into with a male member of the group.
According to the lawsuit, Gloria Trevi told her that Andrade had “tight rules” and she would have to persuade him to let her continue with the program to prevent her from leaving the group. According to reports, the singer told her:
‘I do not want you to go; you have to talk [Andrade] and do what he wants from you, because I want you to stay.
According to the petition, the adolescent was then instructed that in order to remain in the group, she must have a physical connection with Andrade. According to the complaint, the victim felt “great pressure” because she idolized Trevi and Andrade and wanted to stay in the group and “didn’t know what else to do”. Jane Doe 1 was believed to be 16 years old when she was attacked by Andrade, 36. She was then allegedly tricked and forced into a series of assaults that lasted until 2001. According to the complaint:
“When [Gloria Trevi] saw that [Jane Doe 1] was at a ‘breaking point’ of the abuse, [she] would intervene to influence and pressure [Jane Doe 1] to stay with the group, not leave, and not tell anyone about it, allowing the assault to continue.
According to the complaint, Trevi Jane often told Doe 1 that “the outside world was worse than being with the gang.” The singer also assured the youngster that the band was like a “family” to which she belonged. At this point she is said to have stated:
“What awaits you when you return to Puebla City? This is your chance, so don’t miss it. You will travel, make music and learn a lot, but you have to do this.”
According to the lawsuit, Andrade subjected Jane Doe 1 and other anonymous dancers to “whipping, beatings, food restrictions and forced physical training” if they “didn’t please him”. He allegedly beat the victims with “electric wires until their backs were red and bruised”. It was further said that as part of the punishment, the victims “couldn’t scream or move when he hit them”. It was said that the beatings continued until the dancers were “silent and immobile as he threw the punches”. Jane Doe 1 stated that she was completely removed from the stage in 1993 and forced to serve as an assistant and slave to Andrade. She was apparently “traumatized” and “broken”, yet she was forced to stay with the gang despite feeling “hopeless” and “zombie-like”.
The woman further claimed that her attack continued when she flew to Southern California with Gloria Trevi and Andrade for recording sessions and performances, such as the musician’s August 31, 1992 performance at the Roxy Theater. According to the complaint, the abuse continued until Andrade’s arrest in 2000. Meanwhile, Jane Doe 2 said she was 13 years old when Gloria Trevi approached her outside a radio station in Mexico City in 1989.
The singer apparently told her she was looking for performers and complimented her on her height and beauty. According to the complaint, Trevi urged the girl to take her clothes off for an audition a few weeks later.
Although she denied the demand, the adolescent said she had previously sung and danced before being awarded a “scholarship” to attend Andrade’s workshops. According to the documentation, Gloria Trevi immediately began grooming the girl to become Andrade’s girlfriend. She reportedly convinced the adolescent that she was the perfect girl for him to “believe in love again” after another child “betrayed him” and destroyed his heart. According to the lawsuit, Andrade began assaulting her when she was 13 years old in an office and residence in Mexico City.
At the time, the producer was 33 and Gloria Trevi was 21. Andrade allegedly informed Jane Doe 2 that if she agreed to his demands, he would make her a celebrity like Trevi. Meanwhile, he continued to dominate and abuse her. He reportedly beat her, beat her, beat her with a belt, starved her and denied her access to the toilet. The attack on Jane Doe 2 reportedly continued while she was in Los Angeles with Andrade between 1990 and 1992, while Gloria Trevi was recording her albums Tu Angel de la Guarda and Mi Siento Tan Sola. Jane Doe 2 said she contacted her mother and asked her to save her from the “bad boys,” claiming she was being held hostage in Los Angeles. Gloria Trevi, on the other hand, reportedly stepped in and persuaded the adolescent to stay by suggesting that she was “close to finishing her album and realizing her ambition to be a singer”.
According to the lawsuit, Andrade married Jane Doe 2 in December 1990, when she was 15 years old, to take her out of her mother’s legal care. According to the allegations, the victim accepted the marriage because “she was afraid of what [Andrade] would do if she refused.” In December 1992, she was reported to have “escaped” from the group’s residence in Mexico City. Both plaintiffs are seeking both actual and punitive damages, though the amount will most likely be determined at trial. Gloria Trevi apparently plans to play three performances in Mexico City at the end of the month, despite the pending lawsuit.
