MIAMI – Anthony Infante told police officers he wanted to rescue two teenage girls from prostitution in Miami after he got caught up in an undercover operation, records show.
Infante and Schneider Colon both walked into a hotel room expecting minors involved in prostitution but instead found police officers who were trained in special weapons and tactics, police records show.
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Infante, 21, and Colon, 27, were at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday morning after corrections officers booked them early Wednesday morning, county jail records show.
Infante, who lives at a house in the West End neighborhood, and Colon, who lives in a house in the city of Miami Shores, both said they wanted to hire girls under 14 for prostitution, arrest records the police released on Wednesday show.
Infante used Telegram, an encrypted instant messaging service before requesting a meeting on Tuesday for an hour to have sex with two girls without a condom for $500, according to a police arrest form.
Colon, who told police he worked at a hotel, agreed to meet with one of the teenage girls to have sex for $70, and when he arrived to meet her, he told her the cash was in the car, and he would pay later, according to a police arrest form.
Prosecutors filed felony cases against Infante and Colon on Wednesday. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Zachary James is presiding over Infante’s case, and Circuit Judge Daryl E Trawick is presiding over Colon’s case.
Infante is facing charges of human trafficking, the use of a computer to commit a felony, traveling to meet a minor, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. Colon is facing charges of use of a computer to commit a felony, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and traveling to meet a minor.
The operation involved the Miami Police Department and The Department of Homeland Security. Detectives were asking anyone with information about the suspects’ alleged involvement in prostitution with minors to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.