Miami Courant

A U.S. District Judge has sentenced Xavier Latrell Smith, 34, to 360 months' imprisonment and his co-defendant Jayla Denice Welch, 22, to 170 months' imprisonment for sex trafficking a minor from Texas to Louisiana to Florida.

In March, Smith and Welch, both from Texas, were convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor to engage in sexual activity, and coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Additionally, Smith was convicted of two counts of commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender.

Smith and Welch lured the minor victim with false promises of a better life. They then posted commercial sex ads online as they traveled with the victim from Texas to Louisiana to Florida. The pair collected money from the unlawful acts performed by the victim.

The minor was rescued from a hotel room reserved and paid for by Smith. Law enforcement recovered records from Smith's and Welch's phones showing evidence of photographing, posting, and maintaining commercial sex ads in six different cities. Both defendants paid for hotel rooms used for illegal activities.

Smith was sentenced on August 23 while Welch received her sentence on June 21. A restitution hearing is scheduled for Smith on September 27.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida announced the sentences alongside Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI Miami Field Office and Director Stephanie V. Daniels of the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD).

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in partnership with MDPD’s Human Trafficking Squad and the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman, Bertila Lilia Fernandez, and Arielle Klepach prosecuted the case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Eloisa Fernandez handled asset forfeiture.

For reporting suspected human trafficking or obtaining resources for victims: call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org available around-the-clock in multiple languages.

Further information about this case can be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida under case number 23-cr-20122.