A 45-year-old woman was arrested over the weekend after she was accused of a sex trafficking scheme that targeted a teen girl at a Miami hotel.
The 15-year-old girl told police that she had walked her dog to Aloft Miami Dadeland last Tuesday, August 13, when a woman approached her and initiated a personal conversation.
Police said the woman told the teen she was a psychologist, so the teen began sharing personal issues with her.
The woman, who police identified as Maria Duarte, allegedly offered the teen marijuana to smoke and alcoholic drinks. The teen accepted the marijuana but declined the alcohol, according to a police report.
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Throughout the day and into the following day, police said the teen returned to the hotel several times to visit Duarte in her hotel room, after she offered the teen more marijuana.
By Wednesday, Duarte began taking pictures of the teen and sending them to a man named Pablo, according to an arrest report. Duarte allegedly told Pablo that the teen was 21 years old -- despite knowing she was only 15 -- and said she was willing to have sex with him; however, the teen said she didn't want to have sexual relations with anyone.
According to police, Pablo arrived at the hotel room anyway and proceeded to have sexual relations with Duarte in front of the teen. Duarte even gave the teen a cellphone to record them and claimed she was teaching the teen, the report stated.
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Police said Duarte's boyfriend, identified as Jason, later entered the hotel room as well and Duarte ordered the teen to have sexual relations with Jason before leaving the two in the room alone, despite the teen expressing that she was uncomfortable with the situation. Duarte went as far as to push the 15-year-old back into the room and told her to "make Jason feel good," police stated.
The teen told police she went into the bathroom and when she exited, Jason was exposed and invited her to have sexual relations with him.
When she refused, the teen claims Jason grabbed her by the back of her head and neck, and tried to force her to perform oral sex on him.
The teen said she then found out that Duarte would often exchange sex for drugs, in order to satisfy her drug addictions, the police report stated.
On Sunday, August 18, a detective responded to the hotel and made contact with Duarte on an unrelated matter, according to the report. She was being uncooperative and acting belligerent, police said.
Duarte was later arrested and charged with several charges including human trafficking of a child, lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child under 16 as well as lewd and lascivious battery, according to police.
She is being held without bond, the arrest report stated.
