A Miami Beach charter boat owner was arrested in a sex trafficking case involving a 17-year-old girl, authorities said.
Kutay Satiroglu, 45, was arrested Wednesday on charges of human trafficking, lewd and lascivious battery on a child, and contributing to the delinquency of a child, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
According to an arrest report, Miami Beach Police officers began their investigation after the teen’s mother said she received a call from her older daughter that the teen was at Satiroglu’s house being held against her will and physically and sexually abused.
The teen later told investigators she met Satiroglu at a nightclub in April and at first told him she was 21 but by the end of the night confessed that she was only 17, the report said.
Satiroglu is the owner of a charter boat business and offered her a job as a boat steward, and the two began a sexual relationship, the report said.
While they were in a relationship, the teen said Satiroglu would have her engage in sex with his friends in exchange for money, charging anywhere between $200-$800 per meeting, the report said.
She also said he would advise her how to collect the money in advance and that the money was used to fund their household, the report said.
Satiroglu also gave her drugs during the sessions and whenever they would throw parties, and would also force her to call her girlfriends to come over and have sex with him, and if she didn’t comply, he would “discipline her by physically harming her,” the report said.
The teen said he was physically abusive toward her on numerous occasions, often beating her whenever he was in a bad mood, the report said.
She said that two days earlier they’d been involved in a physical altercation, and that there were two other females in the yacht who did sex work on his yacht charters, the report said.
The teen said she complied with Satiroglu because she was in love with him and wanted to make him happy, the report added.
Satiroglu refused to speak with detectives before he was arrested and booked into jail, the report said.
At a hearing Thursday, a Miami-Dade judge ordered Satiroglu would be held without bond.
In a statement Thursday, Miami Beach Police credited the teen’s older sister for coming forward with information.
“Due to her bravery and coordinated response of our detectives, a minor was rescued from a dangerous situation, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident,” the statement read. “The Miami Beach Police Department remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute all acts of human trafficking and exploitation.”
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