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OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - Three people have arrested and charged with Human Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Activity of a Child Under 18.
The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI), with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, says that three adult men have been charged with Human Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Activity of a Child Under 18, in addition to other Prostitution and Sex Crimes.
The MBI says that an Osceola County Sheriff's Office Missing Persons detective requested the assistance of MBI in locating a missing juvenile who was believed to be held against her will and forced into prostitution. Agents with the MBI, FBI, and a Victim Specialist from the State Attorney's Office were able to locate and recover the juvenile at the Orlando Metropolitan Resort on Austrian Court.
At the same location, the MBI says that with the help of the FBI, they were able to locate and arrest the trafficker, 23-year-old Timothy Bernard White. White contacted the victim via social media while she was a resident of a group home and encouraged her to run away. He then transported the juvenile to a hotel, posted her onto social media for the purposes of prostitution, arranged prostitution customers, and took the proceeds of the prostitution acts.
Continuing the investigation, agents say they discovered the identity of two adult men, 34-year-old Christopher David Jackson and 40-year-old Steven Ramos, who were prostitution customers of the juvenile. Florida Legislature states that adults who involve minors in acts of prostitution should be prosecuted for Human Trafficking and other statues, as juveniles may not consent to acts of prostitution.
The defendants are being persecuted by the 9th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office.