LAKE WORTH, Fla. (AP) — Two South Florida women have been arrested on federal charges in connection with a sex-trafficking operation involving minors, investigators said.
Kiara Nunez, 21, of Hollywood, and Alexandra Ramirez, 19, of Coral Springs, were taken into custody by the Broward County Human Trafficking Task Force, the FBI announced.
The women are accused of renting at least five Airbnb locations in South Florida for the purposes of selling two teenage girls for sex, the Palm Beach Post reported. One of the locations was in the Lake Worth area.
They are accused of trafficking the teenagers from October through January.
A federal criminal complaint said one of the victims told investigators last month that she and the other teen were driven to an unknown location in Lake Worth Beach for the sole purpose of “making money” through sex, the Post reported.
The teen said only one “date” showed up and the women became angry because they weren’t making more money, the complaint said.
The girl told investigators she also had to take nude photos for online advertising. When she resisted, the women threatened to kick her out of the home and leave her in Palm Beach County, the complaint said.
According to the complaint, Ramirez pointed a BB gun at one of the teens during an argument and frequently threatened to leave them in deserted locations.
A judge on Thursday, ordered that Ramirez be held on pretrial detention, while Nunez was placed on home detention with a $100,000 bond and electronic monitoring, according to court records.
Attorneys for the women are not listed on court records.
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