Miami-Dade police made a significant development in a human trafficking case by announcing a second arrest. This time, the arrest involved a mental health counselor and occurred at a hotel in Kendall, Florida.
Jason Mojica, 46, faced formal arrest on Tuesday for three felony charges. This occurred while he was already in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center but on an unrelated case.
The arrest report identified him as the boyfriend of psychologist Maria Ximena Duarte, 45, from North Miami.
Duarte met the girl for the first time last Tuesday at the pool of the Aloft Miami Dadeland Hotel. The teen was walking her dog at the time.
Duarte gained the girl’s trust quickly by posing as a psychologist, according to the police.
According to the report, the victim developed a sense of trust with Duarte and opened up about personal issues. They felt that they had a connection due to shared life experiences. During their conversation, the victim was offered a marijuana cigarette to smoke, but declined. Duarte also bought alcoholic beverages from the hotel’s bar and offered them to the victim, who also declined.
According to the police, Duarte instructed the girl to return to her hotel room later that night.
According to the report, the victim expressed her unwillingness to comply with Duarte’s request. However, Duarte persisted despite her objections.
According to the report, Mojica, whom the girl only knew as “Jason,” eventually showed up.
Duarte started to exit the room, intending to leave the girl alone with Mojica, when she expressed her discomfort at being alone with him.
The victim overheard Duarte telling her boyfriend, “Can you believe that? She’s only 15!” the police said.
The victim promptly reported the incident to the authorities the following day, leading to the subsequent arrest of Duarte by the police.
“I am a psychologist with a PhD, and I am at risk of losing my license and my entire life,” Duarte emotionally expressed in court on Monday. He pleaded, “I desperately need assistance. I want to emphasize that I have never laid a hand on that girl or even kissed her.”
The police mentioned that they will use investigative techniques to identify Mojica, who is homeless. Additionally, the victim will identify him as the suspect from a photo.
He is currently facing multiple charges, including sexual battery of a victim aged 12 to 17, lewd and lascivious battery, and interference with custody. These charges are in addition to several other unrelated cases that he is already facing.
As of Wednesday, he is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Similarly, Duarte is also being held at TGK without bond.
It is still unknown whether the authorities have identified “Pablo” or if he will be facing any charges at this time.