Man Accused Of Sex Trafficking Teen During Miami Super Bowl Arrested
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A Georgia man accused of sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl in South Florida when it hosted Super Bowl LIV has been arrested.
In January, Miami Beach detectives conducted an undercover operation designed to identify and assist juvenile and adult victims of human trafficking.
As a part of the operation, detectives looked through online escort postings offering "out-calls" in the Miami and Miami Beach area. The term "out-call" refers to "dates" in which an escort or prostitute travels to meet a client.
That's when Anthony Carter, 28, and the teen, both from Georgia, caught their attention. According to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, both appeared to have come to Miami Beach in connection with events related to the Super Bowl 54.
As part of the operation, detectives would set up a "date" and then intercept the person being trafficked, offering them "refuge and assistance."
After police recovered the 17-year-old, they tried to arrest Carter who fled the scene in a car, eventually abandoning it. When officers searched the car, they reportedly found an abundance of evidence that allowed them to obtain a warrant for his arrest.
"This case is a testament to the commitment of our law enforcement agencies in Miami-Dade County to disrupting the activities of potential Human Traffickers during the Super Bowl," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "Our Human Trafficking Task Force and our Miami-Dade law enforcement agencies were united to end such predation."
Carter faces a number of charges including human trafficking a victim under the age of 18, deriving proceeds from prostitution, and aggravated fleeing/eluding a law enforcement officer.