A Florida man is accused of pimping out a captive pregnant woman to a "fetish clientele," the Miami Herald reported.
Justin Robert Muoio, who is already charged with false imprisonment, "physically forced" a 23-year-old woman to have sex with clients from a company named VIP Escort Services, the unnamed woman told Miami investigators.
The forced prostitution began in 2009 and continued until at least 2013 when the woman became pregnant. Muoio allegedly used her as a "pregnant prostitute" and advertised her to a "fetish clientele" on Craigslist, using a cellphone to take photos, upload "disguised" Craigslist ads and to communicate with clients, the newspaper reported.
Investigators say the woman was forced into prostitution for two months during her pregnancy. Each date cost $200, police said.
The woman's accusations, laid out in court documents obtained by the Miami Herald, could mean additional charges for the 32-year-old, who is also accused of deriving financial support for prostitution and falsely imprisoning the woman at their apartment following an argument.
According to an arrest report, Muoio got into a "heated altercation...related to infidelity" with the woman at their North Miami-Dade home in August 2014. The accused pimp became enraged when she tried to leave and locked the apartment's deadbolt to keep her inside, police said. He then took her spare key, disconnected the phone and left, according to the report.
She stayed inside for an hour and a half until Muoio's mother, who also lived at the apartment, opened the door to talk to her son outside, the newspaper reported.
Muoio was arrested that same month following the incident. He pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial on house arrest. His mother was also arrested for false imprisonment.
Investigators obtained a search warrant and recovered the cellphones they say Muoio used to arrange the alleged human trafficking business.
"Human trafficking cases, or modern day slavery, involve unspeakable and unthinkable acts of humanity," said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the newspaper reported. "This reality sinks deeper with each new victim we rescue."
