PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Three men from Palm Beach County have been sentenced in federal court for trafficking and sexually exploiting three teenage girls who had run away from foster care, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Antonio Michel, 36, of Delray Beach, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor; Jaime Figueroa, 36, of Boynton Beach, to 19 years and seven months in prison after he pleaded guilty to production of child sexual abuse material; and Raymond Jean, 46, of Greenacres, to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor. HSI West Palm Beach and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case.
“These defendants found missing foster children who needed protection and chose instead to exploit them, supply them with drugs, and sell them for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida.
According to court documents, the defendants preyed upon three teenage girls who had run away from foster care. Taking advantage of the victims’ youth, instability, and lack of family support, the defendants transported, harbored, and commercially exploited the minors for financial gain.
Michel, often accompanied by Jean, transported the victims to and from hotels, motels, and other locations where commercial sex acts occurred. Michel also rented and paid for multiple hotel and motel rooms used to facilitate the exploitation of the minor victims.
Figueroa directed the victims on how much money to charge for commercial sex acts and how to conduct the “dates.” He also regularly supplied crack cocaine to the victims during the course of the trafficking scheme. The victims turned over proceeds from the commercial sex acts to Figueroa. Following Figueroa’s arrest, law enforcement searched his cellphone and discovered that he had produced child sexual abuse material involving one of the victims.
“No child should ever be subjected to such cruelty,” Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami said. “These sentences represent an important step toward justice for the victims and demonstrate that HSI and our partners will use every tool available to identify, investigate, and bring child predators to justice.”
