MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade police announced a second arrest in a human trafficking case Wednesday; they said it involved a mental health counselor and took place at a Kendall hotel.
Jason Mojica, 46, was formally arrested on three felony charges Tuesday while already in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on an unrelated case.
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He was identified in an arrest report as the boyfriend of psychologist Maria Ximena Duarte, 45, of North Miami.
Duarte, who was arrested on Sunday, is accused of gaining the 15-year-old victim’s trust after meeting her at the pool of the Aloft Miami Dadeland hotel and luring her back to her room, while Mojica is accused of sexually battering the teen.
According to an arrest report, Duarte first met the girl last Tuesday at the pool of the Aloft Miami Dadeland hotel, located at 7600 N. Kendall Drive, as the teen walked her dog.
Police said Duarte befriended the girl, “quickly gaining her trust” by saying she was a psychologist.
“The victim grew comfortable with (Duarte) and confided in her about issues in her personal life and was told that they had shared life experiences,” the report states. “During the conversation, (she) offered the victim a marijuana cigarette to smoke (and) also bought alcoholic beverages from the hotel’s bar and offered them to the victim, but the victim declined.”
Police said that Duarte told the girl to “come back to her hotel room later that night.”
Authorities said the girl met up with Duarte in her room the next day and said that Duarte “began to take pictures of the victim” and sent them to a man named Pablo, saying that the victim “was 21 years old and willing to have sex with him.”
The victim told Duarte she was not willing to do that, the report states, but police said Duarte “continue(d) to insist.”
Police said Pablo came to the room and Duarte had sex with him in front of the teen; the report states Duarte had the girl record video of Duarte and the man “while telling the victim that she was teaching her.”
The report states that at some point, Mojica, who the girl knew simply as “Jason,” then arrived.
Police said Duarte began to leave the room in an attempt to leave the girl alone with Mojica; they said she told Duarte she was “uncomfortable” being alone with him.
At one point, police said the victim overheard Duarte telling her boyfriend, “She’s 15, can you believe that?”
The report states that Duarte pushed the girl back inside, “told her to stay and make Jason feel good” and closed the door.
The girl went into the bathroom to play on her cellphone and, “after some time passed,” exited the bathroom to see Mojica exposing himself to her and inviting her to have sex with him.
Police said after the girl declined, he forced her to perform a sex act.
The girl said she learned that Duarte “would exchange sex for drugs to satisfy her drug addictions” and “would continuously offer the victim marijuana in order to have her return and engage in various activities while at the hotel with (her),” investigators wrote.
Authorities said the victim reported what happened the next day and police would later arrest Duarte.
Duarte appeared in court Monday on counts of human trafficking, lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child under 16, lewd and lascivious battery and interference with custody.
“I’m a psychologist. I’m a PhD. I will lose my license and my life,” Duarte said in court Monday. “I need help. I’ve never even touched that girl, kissed her.”
Police said they would identify Mojica, who is homeless, through “investigative techniques” and that the victim would identify him from a photo as the suspect.
In addition to a slew of preexisting charges in unrelated cases, he’s facing counts of sexual battery of a victim 12 to 17, lewd and lascivious battery and interference with custody.
He was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Wednesday. Duarte was also at TGK, held without bond.
Authorities haven’t yet said whether they’ve identified “Pablo” or whether he’d be facing any charges.