Mexican Pop Star Gloria Trevi, Manager Arrested in Sex Scandal

Mexican pop star Gloria Trevi was arrested Thursday by Brazilian police for possible extradition to Mexico to face allegations that she and her manager kidnapped girls and abused them.

Trevi and manager Sergio Andrade were found in a modest apartment at Rio’s famous Copacabana beach, an Interpol official said.

In Mexico, a state prosecutor for the northern state of Chihuahua, who issued a warrant for Trevi’s arrest in November, said the charges against her and Andrade were rape, kidnapping and corruption of minors.

Interpol had been trying for several months to track down Trevi and Andrade, who were believed to be on the run together in Latin America. They were rumored to be in Brazil in mid-1999, but federal police at that time said they had no leads.

The two disappeared after allegations surfaced in early 1999 that Trevi had exploited young girls sent by their parents into the pop star’s care in hopes of making it big in show business.

Families of victims later told reporters that the girls were pressured into having sex with Andrade.

Trevi, 29, became a star in the early 1990s, rising to the top of the music charts and gaining a reputation as a rebel by appearing on stage in skimpy outfits and pouring soft drinks over her body.