A Miami man has been convicted of human trafficking in what may be the first criminal case in Florida since a new law went into effect.
David Salomon, 27, was found guilty on one count of human trafficking involving the commercial exploitation of a minor, according to a news release from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
Salomon was charged after an undercover prostitution sting targeting the area of Biscayne Boulevard and NE 79th Street. Officials said a 15-year-old girl solicited two undercover officers for prostitution while Salomon drove around and acted as an "eyeball," directing her to potential customers and warning her of police presence.
The state's Safe Harbor Act, passed in 2012, allows victims to be transferred to short-term safe houses for 30 days and assessed for long-term placement instead of being taken to jail, according to The Miami Herald. That leaves prosecutors to focus on pimps instead of their victims.
Prosecutors say Salomon is a habitual felony offender and is facing life in prison.
His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30th before Circuit Court Judge Rodney Smith.
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Meanwhile, the 15-year-old victim has been missing since July 2013, so she was unable to testify at the trial.
