A Vienna resident, Michael Jamie Inofuentes, 45, was convicted by a federal jury on September 12 for sex trafficking of a child and engaging in illicit sexual conduct abroad. Court records indicate that Inofuentes, who has homes in Virginia and Colombia, returned to the United States through Miami International Airport on November 1, 2024. Authorities flagged him for secondary inspection due to suspicious payments linked to an individual under investigation for child sex trafficking in Colombia.
During the border search conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), agents examined two cellphones belonging to Inofuentes. They discovered messages between him and a 15-year-old Colombian girl discussing commercial sex acts, including arrangements to meet at a hotel in Medellin and negotiations over payment. The girl informed Inofuentes she was a minor during these conversations. Several months later, she told him she was pregnant and they discussed his possible paternity.
Initially denying sexual contact with the victim, Inofuentes later admitted to having a sexual relationship with her. He also acknowledged having children in Colombia with another woman who was a minor when he impregnated her. After the initial interview, he was allowed to return home.
Three days later, on November 4, 2024, Inofuentes tried to board a flight from Dulles International Airport bound for Colombia but was stopped by authorities for secondary inspection. He admitted offering money to the victim for sex at a hotel.
Inofuentes faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and could receive up to life imprisonment when sentenced on January 15, 2026. Federal district court judges determine sentences based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory factors; actual sentences may be less than the maximum allowed.
“Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the verdict.”
The HSI Miami Field Office assisted significantly with this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Laura D. Withers are prosecuting the case.
“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. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.”
More details can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or through PACER using Case No. 1:25-cr-5.
