Trucker accused of keeping sex slaves in semi pleads guilty

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah trucker accused of keeping women as sex slaves in his semi-trailer as he drove across the country struck a plea deal with federal prosecutors Thursday, days before his trial was set to begin.

Prosecutors say he had four other victims in the decades before his 2014 arrest, and their stories would have been evidence in the trial even though the cases are too old for criminal charges.

Prosecutors hope the guilty pleas are a step toward closure for the victims, Assistant U.S. Attorney Trina Higgins said.

Vafeades was arrested after officers at a Minnesota weigh station noticed bruises on the woman's face and discovered an old restraining order barring Vafeades from contacting her, according to charging documents.