You Can Get Charged With Sex Trafficking Even If No Money Changes Hands

Whether true crime podcasts or action movies are your preferred form of entertainment, you have experienced the dramatic tension of a story where undercover police communicate with an adult who promises to facilitate a meeting between the undercover officer and a minor for sexual purposes.  As soon as the adult’s and the undercover officer’s paths converge at the designated meetup location, the police badges flash and the handcuffs clink.  The moral of the story is that you can still get arrested for sex trafficking of a minor even if no sexual contact takes place, and even if the minor referred to in the discussions never existed.  It goes without saying that someone can be guilty of benefiting or trying to benefit financially from another person’s sexual favors even if the defendant never touched the person whose sexual favors he or she was trying to sell to someone else.  No one can argue that sex trafficking is one of those criminal charges you can easily put behind you, but you cannot be convicted of it unless the prosecution can prove that your actions match the description of every element of the crime.  If you are being accused of sex trafficking or another felony sex offense, contact a Tampa sex crimes lawyer.

Mental Health Counselor Accused of Sexually Exploiting Teenager to Support Her Own Drug Habit

A mental health counselor from Miami has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges after prosecutors claimed that she arranged a meeting where a male acquaintance of hers sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl; the man is also facing charges for sexual assault of a minor.  The counselor claims that she only acted out of desperation because of her drug addiction; the man used to provide drugs from her, but she ran out of money to pay him, so she resorted to exploiting the girl for her financial benefit.

In the summer of 2024, the counselor used to spend her days sitting by the swimming pool of a Miami hotel where she was staying.  She started a conversation with the teenager when the latter was walking her dog by the hotel.  The counselor told the girl that she was a therapist and tried to gain her trust, eventually sharing cannabis with her.

Eventually, the girl agreed to go to the counselor’s hotel room with her.  When they arrived, the man was there, and he sexually assaulted the girl.  When she was able to escape, she told the police.  The counselor cannot be convicted unless prosecutors can prove that she knew that, if she brought the girl to the hotel room, the man would try to assault her.

Contact Tampa Criminal Defense Attorney Bryant Scriven

A criminal defense lawyer can help you exercise your rights if you are facing criminal charges, even if the charges against you are for a felony sex offense that carries a social stigma.  Contact Scriven Law in Tampa, Florida to schedule a consultation.

Sources:

people.com/florida-therapist-charged-with-trafficking-15-year-old-to-men-8699249

wild941.com/2024/08/22/psychologist-forces-15-year-old-girl-sleep/

miamidade.gov/global/release.page?Mduid_release=rel1724176242178568