A Florida psychologist has been convicted of grooming a 15-year-old girl and encouraging her to have sex with men at a Miami hotel in a disturbing case that involved drugs and psychological manipulation.
Maria Duarte, a licensed psychologist, was found guilty of multiple charges, including facilitating sex acts involving the minor, though she was acquitted of human trafficking. According to prosecutors, Duarte befriended the vulnerable teen—who was struggling with family issues—while the girl was walking her dog.
How the Scheme Unfolded
Prosecutors said Duarte used her professional credentials to gain the girl’s trust before luring her to a room at the Aloft Hotel on August 13, 2024. There, the teen was pressured into sexual encounters with men while drugs were present.
Two men—Jason Mojica, Duarte’s 48-year-old boyfriend, and Hermes Mejia, 32—cooperated with authorities and testified against her. Mojica pleaded guilty to sexual battery and lewd and lascivious battery, receiving a seven-year prison sentence followed by probation. Mejia took a plea deal in 2025, admitting to child abuse in exchange for probation.
Duarte’s Defense and Fallout
Duarte, who had been on house arrest before trial, was ordered back to jail after the verdict. She faces up to 15 years in prison and has already had her psychology license suspended.
During earlier court appearances, she denied wrongdoing, claiming the victim lied. “I’m a psychologist, I’m a Ph.D. I will lose my license and my life,” she told a judge in 2024. “I need help. I’ve never even touched that girl.”
But jurors rejected her defense, siding with prosecutors who argued she exploited the teen for her own gain.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/11/12/video-florida-psychologist-found-guilty-of-coaxing-15-year-old-girl-to-have-sex-with-men/