John Jefferson
Maria Ximena Duarte (Miami-Dade County).
A self-described “psychologist” made friends with a 15-year-old girl, only to try to make her have sexual relations with two grown men.
Maria Ximena Duarte, 45, is currently jailed in Miami-Dade, Florida, for charges of human trafficking of a child, lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child younger than 16 while the defendant is older than 18, lewd and lascivious battery, and interference with custody. Documents implicated two men in the alleged abuse. One of them sexually abused the girl, according to Duarte’s arrest affidavit.
Documents only provide the men’s first names. Law&Crime is not naming them because they have not been charged, but we reached out to the police regarding these other adults. A law enforcement spokesman said that the investigation is ongoing. The public defender’s office representing Duarte declined to comment.
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According to documents, the girl told police that on Tuesday, she walked her dog to the pool area of a hotel, where she met the defendant. Duarte allegedly made friends with the teenager, gaining her trust quickly by revealing herself to be a psychologist. The girl, growing comfortable with the defendant, confided in her about personal life issues, and was told they shared life experiences.
But Duarte allegedly offered the girl a marijuana cigarette and some alcohol drinks. The teenager declined drinking the alcohol, but hung out in the hotel room, intermittently returning home and coming back into the next day.
On Wednesday, however, Duarte allegedly took pictures of her and sent them to a man, telling him the girl was 21 and willing to have sex with him.
The girl, however, refused, saying in the paraphrasing of the affidavit that “she was not like that.” Duarte allegedly ignored her and kept insisting. According to documents, the defendant had sex with this individual in front of the teenager and gave her a phone to record an act of oral sex. According to documents, the defendant performed the act “while telling the victim that she was teaching her.”
Duarte’s boyfriend also allegedly arrived at the hotel room, and she left in an attempt to leave the girl alone in the room with him. Though the girl voiced discomfort, Duarte pushed her back inside the hotel room and told her to stay and make the man “feel good,” documents said.
The girl, alone in the room, went into the bathroom and started playing on her phone. She later stepped out to find the man with his penis exposed, pleasuring himself and “inviting the victim to have sex with him,” according to documents.
She refused, but Duarte’s boyfriend grabbed her by the back of her head and neck, according to the affidavit. Documents describe an act of sexual assault.
In her time in the room, the girl learned that Duarte exchanged sex for drugs “to satisfy her drug addictions,” authorities said.
“The victim overheard the defendant state to [the boyfriend] she’s 15, can you believe that?” documents said.
When police later interviewed Duarte, they described her as “belligerent and uncooperative” she seemed to be high on an unknown drugs.
“Therefore this detective determined the interview could not be conducted,” documents said.
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