Miami Beach man accused of violent human trafficking, beating woman
A Miami Beach man is facing five felony charges after Miami Beach undercover agents found a woman who said she was the victim of violent human trafficking and assault stemming from her work as a prostitute.
Robert Brown, 37, from Great Britain, was arrested Tuesday on charges of human trafficking, deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery and cocaine possession, according to the Miami Beach police arrest report.
He is an inmate at Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center on no bond.
Miami Beach's police human trafficking detectives were working an undercover detail and found an advertisement for prostitution on Listcrawler, which included a phone number.
A detective texted the number and reached someone.
Detectives responded to the hotel for the "date," according to the arrest report. A woman called and said her "friend" was in the apartment. She met with a detective.
She offered to exchange full sex for $200.
The woman said a male friend lives with her, and helps by "taking pictures, posting them online and texting with clients when they respond to the ads."
The detective said he had read two previous police reports from her, and asked if Brown was the man. She said he had just left before the detective arrived. The woman said she had an appointment with another detective about those reports.
The woman agreed to come to the police station.
She told them she met Brown in March when he responded to her online advertisement that was posted on Megapersonals. He paid her $150 for full-service sex, according to the arrest report.
She said Brown was staying at her residence since they first met "and that he did not contribute any money to the household."
The woman said Brown would text the client from those responding to ads.
She recalled one time when a client paid her via a cash app and then canceled the transaction. "Mr. Brown used a computer to research the male and called him and threatened to call his family if he didn't resubmit the payment," according to the report.
The man then resent the cash via the app.
The woman also said Brown was physically violent with her and "would snap anytime he felt disrespected." She provided detectives with videos and photos that showed her injuries.
In one image, there was a large bruise to her left leg that she said she sustained when he chased her around the home and pushed her into the bathtub on April 19. She said he punched her in the leg.
In another photo from July 18, she said he grabbed her by the face.
And in August there were two incidents. In one, she said he pushed her in front of her building, causing her to fall and seriously bruise her left leg. On Aug. 23, she recorded an incident where an argument led to him striking her in the face one time. The video includes him telling her "I will end you," according to the arrest report.
The victim said she had given him $14,061 from being a prostitute besides money anytime he asked her for funds to buy cigarettes and food, according to the police report.
She then alleged she was told to give 20% of her earnings to him which he later changed to a flat rate if she made $500 or more.
"When she stated she didn't want to work he would get disappointed and tell her 'come on (deleted) it's just one date, just one hour,'" according to the arrest report. This made her obligated to work, she said.
Brown was later interviewed at the police station and was taken into custody with a bag that contained his passport, three glass pipes containing a white substance believed to be crack, as well as a color push rod in the bag, police said.
