Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle recently lobbied state lawmakers and policymakers to expand protections for child victims of human trafficking.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle extends Thanksgiving greetings to our South Florida community. This year has been a very trying one for our community and our country.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle recently spoke to members of the South Miami Kendall Bar Association about her âMiami-Style Smart Justiceâ approach to crime.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Miami Springs Police Chief Armando Guzman announce the arrest of charged vehicular homicide fugitive Eddy Enrique NuÃąez en route from Panama to Cuba.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle recently led a media relations workshop during the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Associationâs (FPAA) inaugural New State Attorney School.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle recently joined Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Commission Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson, U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator for Region IV Denise Cleveland-Leggett and other community leaders, for a grand opening ceremony to celebrate the completion of the second phase of the Liberty Rising development in Miamiâs Liberty City community.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle was joined by Hilda Fernandez, CEO of Camillus House and Shirley Pardon, President of the Miami Womenâs Club, to announce a $10,000 donation from the Club to Project Phoenix. This generous donation will help Project Phoenix advance efforts to support human trafficking survivors.
This story was originally featured in the Crime Report published by the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
COVID-19 has caused many businesses in the Miami-Dade region to cease operation, but it has not prevented us or the courts from doing our jobs.
At the Miami-Dade County (Florida) State Attorneyâs Office, we are doing our part to prevent the virus from spreading while fulfilling our public safety responsibilities.
We partnered with local stakeholders, including the courts, the Clerkâs Office, Corrections, and the Public Defenderâs Office and defense bars to develop and execute measures that ensure the wheels of justice keep turning.
Drawing on our prior experience managing other major crises like hurricanes, we transitioned to âmission-criticalâ status quickly and smoothly.
The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) publishes its Justice Evaluation Journal four times each year. The peer reviewed journalâs recent edition features an article authored by State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Chief Assistant State Attorney Stephen Talpins. Entitled â21st Century Prosecutions â Miami-Style Smart Justice,â  the article highlights the State Attorneyâs Office that strategically addresses offenders as individuals and employs an evidence-based outcome-oriented approach that maximizes public safety, provides avenues for rehabilitation, saves jail and prison space for the most dangerous offenders, minimizes unintended collateral consequences, meets crime victimsâ needs, and reduces costs.
Arrest of Alleged Fugitive Super Bowl Sex Trafficker Allegedly sold 17-year-old for cash
Miami (September 4, 2020) â Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and the State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, City of Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements, City of Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak, City of Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, City of Miami-Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt, Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Ariana Fajardo Orshan, Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) George Piro and Special Agent In Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Anthony Salisbury announce the arrest of 28 year-old Anthony Bernard Carter who had been sought on an outstanding warrant for a variety of Human Trafficking charges.
Twenty-eight (28) year-old Anthony Bernard Carter was arrested for:
âĒ 1 count Human Trafficking with a Victim <18 â Life Felony
âĒ 1 count Human Trafficking with a Victim via Commercial Sexual Activity of a Child by Transporting a Victim under 18 into Florida â 1st Degree Felony
âĒ 1 count Deriving Support from the Proceeds of Prostitution â 2nd Degree Felony
âĒ 1 count Aggravated Fleeing / Elude a Police Officer â 2nd Degree Felony
âĒ 1 count Interference with Custody of a Minor â 3rd Degree Felony
âĒ 1 count Unlawful Use of a Communications Device â 3rd Degree Felony
Prosecutors are currently reviewing the evidence and looking to file charges on September 17, 2020.
On January 22, 2020, Miami Beach Police Human Trafficking Detectives were conducting a proactive undercover operation designed to identify and assist juvenile and adult victims of Human Trafficking. Both the 17-year-old victim and Anthony Bernard Carter are Georgia natives who appeared to have come to Miami Beach in connection with events related to Super Bowl 54 (also known as Super Bowl LIV) which took place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.
As a part of the operation, detectives looked through online escort postings offering “out calls” that, based on their training and experience, displayed indicators of Human Trafficking. Detectives targeted postings offering “out-calls” in the Miami and Miami Beach area. The term “out-call” refers to “dates” in which an escort or prostitute travels to meet a client. The police intercepted escorts, offered them refuge and assistance, and gathered evidence connecting alleged traffickers to the commercial sale of sexual services.
In this case, the police collected evidence connecting Anthony Bernard Carter to the sale of a 17-year-old victim for commercial sexual activity. After police recovered the 17-year-old victim, police tried to arrest Carter, who fled the scene in a car, eventually abandoning it. When officers searched the car, they found an abundance of evidence that allowed them to obtain a warrant for Carter’s arrest from the courts.
“Miami Beach Detectives and all the human trafficking task force partners did a fantastic job investigating this case and obtaining the evidence leading to this arrest. This case is a testament to the commitment of our law enforcement agencies in Miami-Dade County to disrupting the activities of potential Human Traffickers during the Super Bowl,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Our Human Trafficking Task Force and our Miami-Dade law enforcement agencies were united to end such predation.”
“We are committed to locating predators who commit atrocious acts on their victims and taking them off the street,” said Police Chief Richard Clements.
If you are interested in seeking commentary from State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle (who will be available after 1:00 p.m.), you may email Ed Griffith at EdGriffith@MiamiSAO.com to make the necessary arrangements.