MIAMI – Three people were arrested on human trafficking charges after allegedly forcing a 13-year-old girl into prostitution and nude dancing.
Vilbert Jean, 36, Marlene San Vincente, 22, and DeWayne Ward, 18, forced the girl to prostitute herself for their financial benefit, police say. When the girl refused to continue to engage in prostitution, they forced her to earn money as an exotic nude dancer.
The girl was reported missing on Dec. 10, 2013, according to an arrest affidavit. She told police she ran away from home with two 15-year-old girls.
Three days later, she was forced to have sex with a man at a nearby hotel by the trio.
San Vincente, a dancer at Club Madonna, then brought the girl there, said owner Leroy Griffith. San Vincente tutored the girl on how to make the most money, says the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
The girl worked at Club Madonna under the name "Peaches" and was never asked to provide identification to prove her age at the club, according to an arrest affidavit.
"I was surprised by the things they were saying in the search warrant," said Griffith. "She must have walked in with a friend without signing in or going to the manager and stuff like that. Whether she -- I don't even know if she performed here or not, through I hear that she did."
She made about $1,150 in about a week, say police.
"I feel bad about it," said Griffith. "We're having meetings about it right now."
The suspects were all charged with one count of human trafficking, delivering a controlled substance to a person under 18, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and lewd and lascivious conduct on a person less than 16.
"This sad case shows how quickly human traffickers locate their young prey and turn them from children into cash producing machines," said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "Sadly, to human traffickers, destroying a helpless child's life is unimportant when compared to the consistent flow of cash into their pockets. The people of this community will not tolerate this. With the help of my Human Trafficking Task Force and my specialized human trafficking prosecutors, we will end this hideous practice."