Vienna man sentenced to over 18 years in prison for travelling to Colombia for commercial sex with a minor

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Vienna man was sentenced today to 18 years and four months in prison following his conviction for sex trafficking a child and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Nov. 1, 2024, Michael Jamie Inofuentes, 45, a U.S. citizen with residences in Virginia and Colombia, flew into Miami International Airport on a return flight from Colombia, where he was flagged for secondary inspection based on suspicious payments he made to an individual suspected of involvement in child sex trafficking in Colombia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a border search of Inofuentes and his belongings. During an inspection of his cellphones, agents identified messages between Inofuentes and a 15-year-old Colombian girl showing he had solicited the victim for commercial sex. Inofuentes, who knew the victim was a minor and was frequently hungry and at risk of homelessness, solicited and paid the victim for sex on at least three occasions in 2024.

When interviewed by law enforcement, Inofuentes initially denied having sex with the victim but later admitted to having a sexual relationship with her. Inofuentes also admitted that he has children in Colombia and the mother was a minor when he impregnated her. Inofuentes was allowed to return home after the interview. On Nov. 4, 2024, while attempting to board a flight at Dulles International Airport bound for Colombia, Inofuentes was stopped on the jet bridge and taken to secondary inspection. He admitted that he offered the victim money for sex at a hotel.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., investigated this case with valuable assistance from the HSI Miami Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.

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 U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-5.