A convicted felon is back behind bars, suspected of human trafficking. In a separate, unrelated case, the same man is accused of stealing a Ferrari worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In the human trafficking case, police say the suspect hid the victims' IDs and forced them into prostitution. Investigators believe there could be other victims.
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In bond court, the judge listed a litany of charges against Joshua Notarianni, including two counts of human trafficking. The investigation began Wednesday when Miami police officers responded to the Icon in Brickell and found a 15-year-old girl who had been reported missing. She was found in an apartment with the 28-year-old man, along with two women—ages 20 and 23.
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According to police, Notarianni forced the two women into prostitution. He was allegedly violent with them to force compliance, then kept the profits. Notarianni also allegedly kept the women’s IDs hidden in a locked room they could not access.
But that’s not the only trouble for Notarianni. “The city of Miami arrested this guy yesterday on separate charges. The name triggered, 'Hey, that’s the guy Sunny Isles is looking for,' and sure enough, they called—it was the same guy,” said Sunny Isles Beach Police Public Information Officer Brian Schnell.
It turns out that police in Sunny Isles were looking for Notarianni. In August, they say, Notarianni and a group of other people showed up at Ocean 4 Condos in a black Chevy Suburban. Surveillance video shows one man getting out of the car, going into the valet office, and walking out with several keys to a Ferrari and a Bentley. “About an hour later, they came back and followed a resident into the garage. They tailgated him into the garage and used the trick of pressing the key fob until they heard the horn to identify which car it was,” said Schnell.
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The video also shows the two stolen cars leaving the garage, each hitting a security guard who tried to intervene.
Police say hi-tech and traditional police work led them to a home in Hialeah, which they raided. Inside, they found a stash of guns and Notarianni's ID. But Notarianni allegedly ran out the back, eluding officers. “Auto theft is just one of his many talents, if you will. He’s a bad guy. He’s doing really bad things—from human trafficking to, you name it. I’m not surprised. This is the criminal element that we need to rid our community of,” said Schnell.
Notarianni was denied bond. Both cases are still active and open, and police are looking for others involved.
