Seminole County Man Pleads Guilty To Sex Trafficking Of A Minor

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Rowy De Jesus Vasquez (26, Altamonte Springs) today pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor. He faces a penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Vasquez was indicted on December 9, 2015.

According to the plea agreement, between April 24, 2015, and June 10, 2015, Vasquez caused a 14-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial gain and profit. He provided the girl with a cellphone to communicate with potential customers and to post advertisements for prostitution services on the Backpage website. Vasquez also set the prices for the sex acts and kept all of the proceeds.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.