2 charged in Miami with human trafficking, man faces additional baby kidnapping charge
MIAMI - Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle held a press conference Thursday afternoon to announce charges against a man and a woman accused of human trafficking. The man in this case faces an additional charge of kidnapping a baby.
Fernandez Rundle said Dimitri David Lubin, 23, and Falon Elizabeth Dunkelberger, 25, are being held without bond on charges of Human Trafficking.
Dunkelberger also faces prostitution charges in this case.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's office received an anonymous tip about a human trafficking case involving a 21-year-old victim from Oklahoma.
The victim told police she met Dunkelberger on the dating app tiami, where Dunkelberger matched with her and provided the victim with her Instagram account for the victim to follow her.
The arrest report says that on the Instagram account, Dunkelberger self-described herself as a content creator and highlighted a Miami lifestyle of money, glamour, and luxury.
During their communications, according to the arrest report, the victim confided that she lived in a small town in Oklahoma and that she had fled an abusive relationship with her one-year-old child and was struggling financially.
Dunkelberger befriended her and told her to come to Miami where men will "pay you to just be a pretty girl to ride in their car. The co-defendant then bought a one-way ticket for her to come from Oklahoma to Miami and told her that she could stay with her."
The victim told investigators she was taken to a luxury apartment and that the next day the co-defendant took the victim to buy clothing, did her makeup, and took photos of her. It was at this point that Dunkelberger for the first time told the victim that she sometimes had to sleep with these men for money. The victim told Dunkelberger that she did not want to do that.
Furthermore, the arrest report says that on the third day, the co-defendant told the victim that she had a friend who wanted company and was willing to pay them $1,400. Dunkelberger then told her she needed to change and gave her clothes to wear. The victim told investigators that it was when she was in the hotel room with this big man and Dunkelberger that she realized that she had been deceived and that they were expecting her to engage in prostitution.
The arrest report says Dunkelberger showed up at a Miami-area hotel with the victim, Tuesday at around 7:30 p.m., after responding to an out-call by an undercover detective for an online advertisement for full service with two females for the price of $1,400.
Both women were taken into custody by the undercover detective after Dunkelberger received the money.
The victim during her initial interview with authorities did not disclose that she had come to Miami with her baby and did not disclose that she knew Lubin.
Officials said that on December 6, the victim contacted one of the investigators and disclosed that Lubin had her one-year-old child.
The victim then told investigators that the Dunkelberger had bought her a one-way ticket for both her and her baby.
The victim told investigators that when she arrived in Miami, she was picked up at the airport by the Dunkelberger and Lubin, who at the time was unknown to her. She was later told Lubin managed her money.
The victim told authorities that it was Lubin who drove her and Dunkelberger to the hotel, parked his vehicle a
few blocks from the hotel, and kept the baby in the car with him.
The victim asked the investigators for help to get her son back from Lubin.
A task force was then deployed to recover the child.
Investigators said the victim contacted Lubin via a controlled call. The victim asked Lubin for her child and he told her that he had her child and demanded the victim contact him via a video call, which she did.
Authorities said that after Lubin was reassured that she was outside pretrial detention, he instructed the victim to
go to a nearby location and told her he would pick her up.
The victim insisted that she wanted her baby back and asked to see her child on the video call. The defendant refused and told her that when he picked her up the child would be with him.
He then instructed the victim to walk to a nearby gas station because the defendant advised he did not want to come to the pretrial detention area due to the high level of police presence.
A perimeter was set up with law enforcement surrounding the gas station to take down Lubin when he appeared
with the child.
The victim again asked Lubin to return her child. He told her that he no longer had the infant.
He told her he would send an Uber for her and police were able to get the drop-off location, but Lubin was nowhere to be found.
The victim contacted Lubin and demanded the return of her child. Lubin left the area and told the victim he felt this was a set-up and did not want to get arrested.
The victim told Lubin that if he did not provide her child immediately, she was going to contact the police.
Police said Lubin then reengaged conversation with the victim and told her that he was on his way.
Lubin then appeared with the child and was taken into custody and the child was reunited with his mother.
He was transported to the city of Miami Police Department for processing and then transported to TGK.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle was very outspoken about this case, saying "We have seen unspeakable forms of manipulation and inhumanity to victims in the past but to take and hold hostage as a one-year-old baby as a form of manipulation and control and threats to save oneself is really stunning and unspeakable."
She said, "It's very alarming because this is a case of a 21-year-old woman who was vulnerable and sometimes this happens because of economics from where they live. Sometimes they are runaways. But they can be very vulnerable."
She wanted everyone to be aware of the MIami-Dade State Attorney's Human Trafficking Hotline for those needing help. The number is (305) FIX-STOP (349-7867).
CBS News Miami reporter Peter D'Oench contributed to this story.