MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A Miami Beach man is facing charges related to human trafficking after a woman reported to police that she was forced into prostitution.
Daniel Rodriguez, 39, is charged with human trafficking, felony battery and attempted burglary.
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The charges came after a woman told police that in exchange for her being allowed to stay at his home, Rodriguez forced the victim to have sexual encounters with men.
The woman said she arrived in Florida from Spain about “two to three” months ago, according to the arrest report. On April 25, she argued with her mother who then evicted her, she told police.
After going to 809 Nightclub in Miami, she met Rodriguez’s cousin and was then introduced to Rodriguez. She told him about her living situation and, she said, he invited her to stay with him.
But the following day, Rodriguez told her that if she wanted a place to stay, she would have to, as the report stated, “engage in prostitution.”
She said that two men were brought to the house and that Rodriguez kept a portion of the money she received for the sexual encounters. After the encounters, she was paid $10, although she became aware that he was collecting $150 for 30-minute sessions. She said there was also an encounter on Miami Beach where she was “sold” by Rodriguez to a man.
She said that Rodriguez had taken away her Spanish passport and that he would intimate her by pulling her by her arms. Although Rodriguez never threatened her with a gun, she said that his behavior was “erratic” and she was afraid because she knew he had a firearm.
She said Rodriguez would force her to steal from Publix, CVS and other locations, but that he kept the food for himself.
The victim also told police that she was with Rodriguez when they went to the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel on Collins Avenue. She said Rodriguez had a plan to steal items from hotel patrons at the pool. After getting into a verbal argument with Rodriguez, she said he left her at the hotel. The victim was found crying in the hotel lobby and security called 911.
When police responded, she said she did not know the suspect’s name and was unsure where he lived, but she was able to give police an approximate address. She also gave police a description of the subject.
While in police custody, she began crying and told police she “wanted to kill herself.” After being transported to the MBPD criminal investigations division to be interviewed, she was seen throwing furniture in a room against a wall and screaming profanities in Spanish. According to police, she again said she would kill herself and others.
She was involuntarily Baker Acted and transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center.
On May 1, detectives visited the victim at the hospital, where she told them details of the encounters and said it happened at least three times with different men. After one encounter, she said the man, later identified as Rodriguez, gave her $60 so that she could pay for Internet service to send messages on her cell phone. However, he controlled messages that she sent to her family, she told investigators. He would also beat her with a mobile phone charging cable and “sometimes with his hands,” she said.
The victim told detectives she had not done “anything like this before.”
On May 2, she was shown a photographic lineup and positively identified Rodriguez. On May 4, Rodriguez was located in the 1000 block of Collins Ave. and taken to Miami Beach police headquarters for questioning. Detectives found the victim’s passport and other items in Rodriguez’s home. They also recovered video footage of Rodriguez and the victim entering the rear gate of the Kimpton, which police say directly contradicted statements that Rodriguez made during questioning. He was arrested and charged on Monday.
Investigators from the MBPD Criminal Investigations Division said that taking a victim’s items, such as a passport, is a common practice of human trafficking for the subject to maintain control over their victims. Withholding food is also consistent with pimping and human trafficking, they said.
If you are in need of help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733). If you suspect human trafficking, call federal law enforcement, call 1-866-347-2423.