Orlando, Florida – Xavier Francisco Villanueva, Keith E. Romby II, Jose Carmona, and Ashley Nicole Barnett, four individuals associated with the Blood street gang, have been charged with the sex trafficking of a minor in Orange County.
According to a federal indictment returned on April 23, 2014, the defendants conspired to engage a minor in a commercial sex act from January 17, 2013, to January 25, 2013. The indictment alleges that Villanueva and Barnett, who were part of the Blood street gang, gave the minor drugs and used threats of violence to coerce the minor into prostitution for their own financial gain and benefit.
On January 25, 2013, the minor was able to escape and was rescued by a deputy from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The indictment charges the defendants with the sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life in prison.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, with the assistance of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen Gable and Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
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.
The defendants are: Xavier Francisco Villanueva, also known as ‘X’; Keith E. Romby II, also known as ‘P’ and ‘PJ’; Jose Carmona, also known as ‘Hood’; and Ashley Nicole Barnett, also known as ‘Snow.’
Related Federal Cases
- Edward Walker, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2020 · Florida
- Henry Lee White, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2022 · Florida
- Mateus Fernandes Evangelista Da Silva, Child Sex Trafficking, Florida 2021 · Florida
- Shannima Yuantrell Session, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2011 · Florida
- Dana Curtin, Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor, Illinois 2022 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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