WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County woman and a man pleaded guilty in federal court to four counts of sex trafficking two girls last year in Lake Worth Beach, prosecutors announced Friday.
Maria Eugenia Barrios Calero, 44, and Ricardo Tobon Flores, 44, pleaded guilty Jan. 23 and Jan. 9.
The owner of the Lago Motor Inn in the 700 block of South Dixie Highway said on Aug. 6, 2023, he saw two girls in a hotel room sitting on a bed, while Flores argued with another man about paying for the motel room as Calero stood by.
Motel owner Richard Baron said he contacted law enforcement while Calero and Flores drove off in a car with the two girls.
Calero, Flores and the girls later returned to the motel.
Law enforcement officers with the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, who had responded to the scene, confirmed that Flores and Calero had engaged in commercial sex trafficking of the two girls, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Investigators discovered that Flores paid $200 to have sex with both girls and had coordinated the transaction with Calero, who was to take $50 from each girl for having sex with Flores.
Calero's sentencing is scheduled for April 2, while Flores' sentencing is scheduled for March 14, both before U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg in West Palm Beach.
Calero and Flores each face up to life in prison, lifetime supervised release and payment of restitution to his victims.