A South Florida couple was busted for allegedly forcing a homeless woman into prostitution, Miami Springs police said.
Kelly Monestime and Natalie Mary Vieira were arrested after they coerced a woman into sex trafficking, according to a police report. Undercover detectives first nabbed Monestime during a drug sting at the Comfort Suites in Miami Springs July 19. The following day, his accused co-conspirator, Vieira, was also captured and charged with several counts of sex trafficking.
During the investigation, officers said they later learned the couple had lured a homeless woman back in February and forced her to have sex for money at different hotels across Miami-Dade County.
The alleged victim said she was befriended by the couple in January and promised shelter. Several weeks later, the couple created a profile, with a fake name and photo, for the victim on Backpage.com and set up “dates.”
The homeless woman was forced to have sex with “clients,” a police report said. The victim told detectives she was threatened by the suspects. If clients were not “happy with the services she provided there would be problems,” the victim said.
According to the arrest report, “she was instructed to lie about her age and identity if she was ever stopped by the police,” and “to say she was a juvenile as this would prevent her from getting in trouble.”
Monestime and Vieira collected money before the sex acts, but the victim never received any payments, police said.
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The couple denied the victim’s allegations. Both remain behind bars on a slew of charges. They were ordered held without bond.
