Former Florida man sentenced for attempted sex trafficking
ORLANDO, Fla. — A former Florida man was sentenced Thursday to four years, nine months in federal prison for attempting to induce and facilitate, for his own financial gain, the travel of an individual from Brevard County, Florida, to Quito, Ecuador, so that the individual could engage in illicit sexual conduct with minor girls. In addition, following his release from prison, he was ordered to serve 20 years of supervision, to have no contact with minors and must register as a sex offender. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
"HSI remains committed to stopping criminals from exploiting children globally," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "As evidenced by this case, HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, like the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, and utilize every available resource to target child predators who travel internationally with the sole intent to exploit and victimize the innocence of children."
According to court documents, Patrick R. Minga, 50, formerly of Cape Coral, used Craiglist to advertise a sex tourism business in Ecuador that could facilitate lodging, transportation, meals and unlimited access to females for a fee. An undercover agent with an HSI Task Force observed the ad and contacted Minga. Over the course of several months, Minga tried to induce and arrange the travel of the agent from Florida to Quito, where Minga advised that he could provide sexual encounters with minors as young as 13 and 14 years of age.
On March 2, 2014, Minga traveled from Ecuador to the United States, where he was arrested by agents in Huntsville, Alabama.
"This case is another excellent example of interagency cooperation that targets criminals who prey upon the most precious things in our lives, our children," stated Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. "If your intent is to harm a child, our intent is to track you down and bring you to justice!"
This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
Updated: