Orlando Man Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Trafficking

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Hermenegildo Campa (34, Orlando) today pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking. He faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, the victim in this case was a 15-year-old girl who was pregnant and homeless. She had run away from home and turned to prostitution as a means of surviving. Between October 2014 and February 2015, when the victim was in need of money, she would place ads on Backpage.com and engage in sex acts for money. Campa located the victim through Backpage.com and he met with her and paid her in exchange for sex. 

Detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) Vice Unit ultimately located the victim during a routine vice operation. They immediately recognized that she was a juvenile and referred the investigation to a specialized human trafficking task force comprised of JSO investigators and the FBI.  The victim informed the investigators that Campa was one of her regular customers and advised that his number was saved in her cellphone as “Chico.” The victim also provided details about Campa’s vehicle and where he lived. Investigators were able to identify Campa based on these descriptions.

On April 9, 2015, Campa was arrested at his home in Orlando. During an interview with law enforcement, he admitted to finding the victim on Backpage.com, contacting her, and paying to have sex with her. 

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mac D. Heavener, III.

This is another case 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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.