Vienna man convicted for travelling to Colombia for commercial sex with a minor

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A federal jury convicted a Vienna man on Sept. 12 on charges of sex trafficking of 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 engaging 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 inspection of his two cellphones, agents identified messages between Inofuentes and a 15-year-old Colombian girl that indicated commercial sex. The victim informed Inofuentes that she was a minor, and they discussed meeting at a hotel in Medellin for sex and negotiated a price. Several months later, the victim informed Inofuentes that she was pregnant and they discussed the possibility of Inofuentes' paternity.

Inofuentes initially denied having sex with the victim but later admitted to a sexual relationship. 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. Three days later, on Nov. 4, 2024, Inofuentes attempted to board a flight at Dulles International Airport to travel to Colombia. He was stopped on the jet bridge and taken to secondary inspection. He admitted that he offered the victim money for sex at a hotel.

Inofuentes faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, when sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the verdict.

The HSI Miami Field Office provided valuable and significant assistance in this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Laura D. Withers are prosecuting 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 Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-5.