Jurors acquitted Maria Ximena Duarte of human trafficking but found her guilty of two offenses stemming from a 2024 hotel encounter.
MIAMI — A Miami psychologist accused of manipulating a 15-year-old girl into sexual encounters with adult men was convicted of two sex-related offenses but acquitted of human trafficking, the most serious charge she faced, following a Miami-Dade County jury trial.
Maria Ximena Duarte, 48, was found guilty Nov. 10 of lewd and lascivious exhibition and an unnatural and lascivious act. Jurors rejected the prosecution’s human trafficking case after deliberating for a little more than two hours. Judge Ellen Sue Venzer ordered Duarte taken into custody after the verdict. She had been on house arrest while awaiting trial and is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 11.
The case began in August 2024 after Duarte met the teenager near an Aloft hotel in Miami-Dade County, according to police and testimony reported during the trial. Prosecutors said the girl was struggling with problems at home and came to view Duarte, who worked in the mental health field, as an adult who cared about her and could help her.
Prosecutors argued that Duarte used that relationship and her psychology background to manipulate the teenager and encourage sexual encounters with adult men at the hotel. They also accused Duarte of engaging in sexual conduct in the girl’s presence. The jury’s verdict established criminal responsibility for two offenses but did not accept prosecutors’ claim that Duarte committed human trafficking.
Duarte’s defense disputed the prosecution’s account throughout the trial. Defense attorney Robert Barrar challenged the teenager’s testimony and argued that Duarte had not forced the girl into the encounters described by prosecutors. He also questioned testimony from men involved in the case who had reached plea agreements before taking the witness stand.
Jason Mojica, identified in court reporting as Duarte’s boyfriend, pleaded guilty to charges involving sexual activity with the minor and testified against Duarte. He was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by probation. Another man, Hermes Mejia, also testified after resolving charges connected to the case through a plea agreement.
The split verdict was significant because Duarte had faced the possibility of conviction on a human trafficking charge carrying far more severe consequences. Jurors instead acquitted her of that count while finding the evidence sufficient to convict her of the two remaining offenses. The verdict does not establish that every allegation presented by prosecutors during the trial was proven.
Duarte’s professional credentials were also affected after her 2024 arrest. Florida records cited by news organizations show that an emergency suspension order was issued against her psychologist license in October 2024. That professional action was separate from the criminal trial and occurred before this week’s jury verdict.
Following the verdict, Barrar asked the judge to allow Duarte to remain out of jail until sentencing, but Venzer ordered her taken into custody. Duarte faces up to 15 years in prison, according to NBC6 and People. The final sentence will be determined by the court at the January hearing.
The teenager has not been publicly identified in the reports reviewed for this story. Duarte remains in custody awaiting sentencing on the two convictions, while her acquittal on the human trafficking charge is final unless affected by a separate legal proceeding.