MIAMI — Three Palm Beach County men were sentenced in federal court for trafficking and sexually exploiting three teenage girls who had run away from foster care, forcing them into commercial sex acts for the defendants’ financial gain.
U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Antonio Michel, 36, of Delray Beach, to 180 months in prison; Jaime Figueroa, 36, of Boynton Beach, to 235 months; and Raymond Jean, 46, of Greenacres, to 144 months. Michel and Jean each pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor. Figueroa pleaded guilty to production of child sexual abuse material.
“These defendants found missing foster children who needed protection and chose instead to exploit them, supply them with drugs, and sell them for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Their conduct was cruel and predatory, and these sentences reflect our commitment to finding missing children, protecting trafficking victims, and bringing those who prey on them to justice.”
According to court documents, the defendants preyed on three teenage girls who had fled foster care, taking advantage of the victims’ youth, instability and lack of family support. Michel, often accompanied by Jean, transported the victims to and from hotels, motels and other locations where commercial sex acts occurred. Michel also rented and paid for multiple hotel and motel rooms used to facilitate the exploitation. Figueroa directed the victims on how much money to charge, regularly supplied crack cocaine to them during the trafficking scheme and collected the proceeds. Following Figueroa’s arrest, law enforcement searched his cellphone and discovered he had produced child sexual abuse material involving one of the victims.
“These defendants targeted some of the most vulnerable children in our community and treated them as a source of profit,” said Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations Miami. “No child should ever be subjected to such cruelty. These sentences represent an important step toward justice for the victims and demonstrate that HSI and our partners will use every tool available to identify, investigate, and bring child predators to justice.”
HSI West Palm Beach and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon O’Shea Darsch and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Chase prosecuted the case in the Southern District of Florida under case number 25-cr-80216.