Xavier Latrell Smith, Sex Trafficking, Florida 2024

Pair Convicted of Sex Trafficking Minor in Miami

MIAMI, FL - Xavier Latrell Smith, 34, and Jayla Denice Welch, 22, both of Texas, were found guilty by a federal trial jury in Miami on March 8 of carrying out a sex trafficking conspiracy involving a minor victim.

According to the evidence presented during the five-day trial, Smith, a registered sex offender, and Welch lured the minor victim to engage in sexual acts with false promises of a better life. The duo then posted commercial sex ads of the minor victim online as they travelled with the victim from Texas to Louisiana to Florida, where she was trafficked and engaged in prostitution.

The minor victim was rescued from a hotel room reserved and paid for by Smith and occupied by Welch and the minor victim. Law enforcement reviewed Smith and Welch's phones and recovered records of them photographing, posting and maintaining the commercial sex ads of the minor victim in six different cities.

Smith and Welch collected the money the victim received from the unlawful sexual acts. They also paid for and reserved hotel rooms that the minor victim used for the illegal sexual activity with the commercial sex customers.

Smith and Welch are scheduled to be sentenced on May 31 before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom. Smith faces a maximum penalty of life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment. Welch faces a maximum penalty of life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, in partnership with MDPD's Human Trafficking Squad, and the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman and Bertila Lilia Fernandez are prosecuting the case.

To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text 'BeFree' (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/sex-traffickers-convicted-cross-country-exploitation-minor