West Palm Beach Man Convicted of Attempting to Sex Traffic a 15-Year-Old Girl

MIAMI - A federal jury found a West Palm Beach man guilty of attempting to sex traffic a minor after he negotiated a price to engage in sexual activity with a girl he believed was 15 years old and traveled more than an hour to meet her.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Luis David Garrido-Garcia, 25, of West Palm Beach, negotiated a price for commercial sex with a girl he believed was 15 years old. Despite being told repeatedly that the girl was a minor, Garrido-Garcia agreed to pay for sexual activity and traveled more than an hour to meet her. Instead, he was taken into custody. Garrido-Garcia subsequently admitted that he intended to engage in sexual activity with the girl in exchange for money.

"Luis David Garrido-Garcia was told again and again that the girl was 15 years old. He negotiated a price for sex anyway, drove more than an hour to meet her, and arrived intending to follow through. The jury's verdict makes clear that those who seek to buy sex from children will be held accountable. Protecting minors from sexual exploitation remains one of our highest priorities," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida.

Garrido-Garcia faces up to life in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

HSI Miami and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Wilson and Justin Chapman are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.govLinks 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. or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.govLinks 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., under case number 26-cr-80145.

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