A Vienna man, Michael Jamie Inofuentes, 45, was sentenced to 18 years and four months in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking a child and engaging in illicit sexual conduct abroad.
Court records show that on November 1, 2024, Inofuentes returned to the United States from Colombia through Miami International Airport. Authorities flagged him for secondary inspection due to suspicious payments linked to an individual suspected of child sex trafficking in Colombia. During a search of his belongings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations agents found messages on his cellphones with a 15-year-old Colombian girl. The messages indicated that Inofuentes had solicited the minor for commercial sex.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Inofuentes knew the victim was underage and aware of her vulnerable situation, including hunger and risk of homelessness. He paid her for sex on at least three occasions in 2024.
When questioned by law enforcement, Inofuentes initially denied having sexual contact with the victim but later admitted to a sexual relationship. He also acknowledged fathering children in Colombia with a woman who was a minor at the time she became pregnant. After this interview, he was allowed to return home.
On November 4, 2024, as he attempted to board a flight from Dulles International Airport to Colombia, authorities stopped him again. He then admitted offering money to the victim for sex at a hotel.
Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., led the investigation with assistance from its Miami Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
For further details or related court documents regarding this case (Case No. 1:25-cr-5), visit the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or PACER.
