Miami-Dade authorities rearrest alleged human trafficker following multi-state undercover operation – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
MIAMI (WSVN) – A 41-year-old Miami man has been rearrested on human trafficking charges following an undercover operation, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and City of Miami Police Chief Manuel A. Morales announced in a news release on Friday.
According to authorities, the probe, initiated by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, traced an online undercover California operation in 2018, revealing a Miami source with the Instagram username “handsome_and_wealthy_305,” later confirmed as Ruben Gonzalez, who is facing prior Human Trafficking charges in Miami-Dade County.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle expressed her appreciation for the collaboration between the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force and the City of Miami Police in assembling this case, shedding light on the dangerous nature of human trafficking.
“The sheer boldness of human traffickers is so rarely visible to the public, but it is always felt by those children and adults who find themselves victimized by its demons of drug addiction, exploitation and brutality,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
Ruben Gonzalez now faces additional charges, including one count of Attempted Human Trafficking/Transporting a Minor and one count of Attempted Human Trafficking Commercial Sex Activity/Victim Under 18.
Authorities said the investigation unfolded as a Ventura County sheriff’s deputy posed as a 17-year-old juvenile female, “Gina Felix,” working under the direction of her California trafficker. Gonzalez allegedly engaged in conversations, encouraging “Gina Felix” to come to Miami for prostitution under his supervision. He detailed improved working conditions, offering a one-way Greyhound bus ticket from California to Miami.
“Traffickers tempt their targets with colorful promises of a life of money, sophisticated style and excitement,” State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. “Instead, victims find themselves becoming simple money-making machines for those exploiting them.”
Gonzalez is being held without bond.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle established the SAO Human Trafficking Unit in 2012. Since then, the unit, along with the SAO Human Trafficking Task Force, has successfully filed over 837 Human Trafficking-related cases, impacting the lives of over 1138 victims. To report Human Trafficking, call the SAO Human Trafficking Hotline at 305-FIX-STOP (305-349-7867). For more information, click here.
