MIAMI – A man accused of coming to Miami Beach ahead of the Super Bowl and trafficking a 17-year-old online for sex has been arrested.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced the arrest of Anthony Bernard Carter, 28, Friday after an investigation that involved several local and federal agencies.
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Prosecutors say Carter and the 17-year-old are from Georgia but were down in South Florida ahead of this year’s Super Bowl when detectives were conducting an undercover operation to uncover sex trafficking.
Miami Beach detectives looked through online escort postings and said they found evidence connecting Carter to the sale of the 17-year-old for sexual services.
Police recovered the victim but Carter got away in a car that he eventually left behind. Prosecutors say that car contained “an abundance of evidence that allowed them to obtain a warrant for Carter’s arrest.”
Carter was attested on the following charges:
- 1 count Human Trafficking with a Victim under 18 — Life Felony
- 1 count Human Trafficking with a Victim via Commercial Sexual Activity of a Child by Transporting a Victim under 18 into Florida — 1st Degree Felony
- 1 count Deriving Support from the Proceeds of Prostitution — 2nd Degree Felony
- 1 count Aggravated Fleeing/Elude a Police Officer — 2nd Degree Felony
- 1 count Interference with Custody of a Minor — 3rd Degree Felony
- 1 count Unlawful Use of a Communications Device — 3rd Degree Felony
Fernandez Rundle’s office says prosecutors are reviewing evidence and looking to file charges on Sept. 17.
“Miami Beach Detectives and all the human trafficking task force partners did a fantastic job investigating this case and obtaining the evidence leading to this arrest. This case is a testament to the commitment of our law enforcement agencies in Miami-Dade County to disrupting the activities of potential Human Traffickers during the Super Bowl,” Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “Our Human Trafficking Task Force and our Miami-Dade law enforcement agencies were united to end such predation.”
Added Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements: “We are committed to locating predators who commit atrocious acts on their victims and taking them off the street.”