MIAMI – A Martin County woman stands accused of helping to traffic women into sex work in Miami-Dade County while working with a human trafficker who is known as “Yelle,” records show.
Caitlin Amari Kossuth’s duties while working for “Yelle” allegedly involved photography, advertising online, booking hotels, and scheduling meetings for prostitution, according to an arrest warrant.
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The case against Kossuth, 23, of Palm City, is part of an investigation that started in August when Miami-Dade police officers met a 22-year-old sex trafficking victim in North Miami Beach.
The woman — who appeared “anxious and paranoid” — told the police officers that she was trying to avoid a “dangerous situation” at the North Miami Beach Gardens Inn & Suites, at 148 NW 167 St.
The woman later reported her nightmare had started when “Yelle” befriended her and gifted her marijuana, molly and flakka. Once she was addicted, she said he introduced her to prostitution.
“Traffickers often times target victims who have some noticeable vulnerability such as emotional neediness, low self-esteem, or economic stress,” Miami-Dade Detective Jessica Barriel wrote, according to Kossuth’s arrest warrant. “They then gain their trust and fill in whatever needs they have identified.”
The victim said “Yelle” introduced her to Kossuth as his “bottom,” which Barriel defined as the main sex trafficking victim in his organization, according to the warrant.
The woman said the abuse included beatings when there were cancellations. Under pressure to meet a quota, the victim said she posted her own ads on MegaPersonals.com, according to the warrant.
Kossuth organized a photo shoot to help market the sex trafficking victim, and helped to set the prices and scheduling, according to the arrest warrant.
After the victim said Kossuth and “Yelle” had forced her into prostitution at the Miami Princess Hotel, near the Dolphin Expressway along Le Jeune Road, detectives found a witness who remembered that she had stayed there for weeks.
After she was trafficked, the woman asked for help with suicidal ideations, was admitted to the HCA Florida JFK North Hospital in West Palm Beach, and the staff there released her and gave her a train ticket that she then used to return to Miami-Dade, according to the warrant.
“Victims are often reluctant to disclose and/or will often deny their victimization to law enforcement and/or others either because of fear or due to the trauma bonds that have developed over time,” Barriel wrote.
Broward deputies arrested Kossuth on Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale. She was extradited to Miami-Dade and appeared in court on Wednesday.
Kossuth is facing a first-degree felony charge of human trafficking punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Miami-Dade correctional officers were holding Kossuth without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.