Two women are facing serious charges after authorities say a 14-year-old runaway was forced into prostitution in Miami-Dade.
Lily Noelle Karolyi, 20, and Latasha Renee Hunt, 30, were both arrested Monday, according to Miami-Dade Police arrest reports.
Karolyi is charged with human trafficking, three counts of child neglect, renting a space to be used for prostitution, two counts of interference with custody, computer pornography, four counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child. She was ordered held without bond Tuesday.
Hunt is charged with child abuse or neglect, contributing to the delinquency of a child and giving a false name after arrest. She was being held on an out of county warrant, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
It was unknown if either woman has an attorney.
According to the reports, Karolyi befriended the girl at the Crossway Motel in Hialeah. The teen had run away from home just days before, and Karolyi said she would let her stay with her but said she had to earn her stay because she was taking care of her 8-month-old son, the report said.
"These delinquents what they're doing is that they're targeting juveniles, minors that have problems or run away from home or have substance abuse, and they're just preying on them," said human trafficking expert Jorge Del Rio. "They don't care. They prey on anyone that they can to make money."
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Karolyi bought the teen new clothes and said she was going to take some photos and post them on Backpage.com offering the teen's services as an escort, the reports said.
After an incident where a man forced himself on her sexually at the motel, the victim told detectives she met Hunt who later put a wig on her head and showed her how to pose for some photos.
As a result of the ad, the teen had sex with several unknown men, earning more than $600 but never receiving any of the money, the reports said.
The arrest report also states that Hunt works as a dancer at Erotica Cabaret, less than a block away from the motel where police say the sex acts were taking place.
"These people are going to promise you the world. They're going to promise you fame, promise you money, promise you things you can't even imagine of. And all it is.. is just a catch," said Del Rio.
