Federal grand jury indicts Florida couple for trafficking runaway

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Frantz Mersier (left) and Paula Barboza have been indicted by a federal grand jury for the alleged sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl, prosecutors said (Broward Sheriff's Office / Sun Sentinel)

Miami, Florida – A federal grand jury has indicted two South Florida residents in connection with the alleged sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint, the girl was a runaway from a group home, with no place to stay, when she met the couple, Frantz Mersier, 30, of Hollywood, and Paula Barboza, 25, of Miami Gardens, on December 6, 2020.

After offering the child a couch in his house on which to sleep, Mersier took the child in and had sex with her, says the affidavit. In the days that followed, according to the court documents, Mersier and Barboza sexually trafficked the victim.

It is alleged that Barboza took nude photographs of the 16-year-old girl and posted them in on-line advertising and that Mersier and Barboza sold sex with the victim to four different men in Broward County, Florida, for $100 each.

On December 9, 2020, the victim was able to call a relative. Later that day, law enforcement rescued her.

Mersier and Barboza are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking of a minor. Barboza also is charged with production of child pornography. They face life-time prison sentences, if convicted. Mersier and Barboza are being detained pending trial.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI’s Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

DOJ

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