Miami pharmacist who sexually abused girls in Colombia is off to prison, feds say
A Miami pharmacist will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he attempted to board a flight to Colombia to sexually abuse young girls, federal prosecutors say.
Stefan Andres Correa, 42, was arrested in April 2024 at Miami International Airport after officers searched nine phones Correa had on him and inside his luggage. They found more than 100 videos of Correa having sex with more than 50 young girls — some as young as 9, court records show.
Correa admitted that he was traveling to Bogota, Colombia, to sexually abuse minor girls. Officers, records show, uncovered text messages where Correa offered a sex trafficker $75 to sexually batter children between 10 to 12 years old.
In March, Correa pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a minor and production of child sexual exploitation material. He was handed down his lengthy sentence on Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom.
READ MORE: Miami pharmacist raped preteens, feds say. He paid to sexually abuse more in Colombia
'This prosecution and this sentence should serve as a warning to any predator who is trying to travel through our District to prey on children. We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,' U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O'Byrne said in the Southern District of Florida's news release. '...Predators such as Correa are a scourge upon humanity, and must be dealt with accordingly.'
In messages with a sex trafficker, Correa said he would give a girl an iPhone XS Max, according to court documents. He, in another text, wrote, 'If she behaves, and takes good care of me, you can keep bringing her and you'll each get [$75].'
When Correa spoke to investigators, he told them he had traveled to Colombia about 45 times to 'have sex with minors,' records show.
In a letter to the judge, Correa said he was taking accountability for his actions — and stated that he 'had a unhealthy yet treatable sex drive.'
Correa will be locked up at the Federal Correctional Institution Marianna, a medium-security prison in Florida's Panhandle.
The case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations agents in Miami, Cleveland, Ohio, and Bogota, Colombia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Astigarraga, the deputy chief of the major crimes division, prosecuted Correa.
'This investigation underscores the global and horrific nature of child sex trafficking and the importance of international cooperation to end it,' said Jose R. Figueroa, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Miami, in a news release.
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New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Twisted Florida pharmacist who raped, trafficked more than 50 young girls learns his fate
A twisted Florida pharmacist will spend the rest of his life behind bars for raping and trafficking dozens of young girls — as young as 10 — during repeated trips to Colombia, according to federal prosecutors. Stefan Andres Correa, 42, was handed the life sentence Friday after authorities discovered more than 100 disturbing videos of him sexually abusing over 50 children stored across nine cell phones, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced. Prosecutors said the Miami predator preyed on girls between the ages of 10 and 17. Arrest of Stefan Andrés Correa Collins. Noticias Caracol 'This prosecution and this sentence should serve as a warning to any predator who is trying to travel through our District to prey on children,' US Attorney Hayden P. O'Byrne said in a statement. 'We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. A life sentence for this conduct is entirely appropriate. Predators such as Correa are a scourge upon humanity, and must be dealt with accordingly.' The sicko was trying to board a Bogota-bound flight from Miami International Airport last April when the feds grabbed him on the jet bridge and searched his bags — uncovering his stash of cell phones. Prosecutors said one phone contained a text exchange in which Correa offered a Colombian trafficker $75 to set up sickening sex sessions with children between 10 to 12 years old. Stefan Andres Correa, 42, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday. Getty Images/iStockphoto 'If she behaves, and takes good care of me, you can keep bringing her and you'll each get [$75],' the pharma creep wrote in one message, also offering to reward the girl with an Apple iPhone, according to court documents obtained by the Miami Herald The depraved druggist told investigators he made roughly 45 trips to the South American country to exploit his victims, records showed. Correa pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a minor and production of child sexual exploitation material in March. 'To the brave survivors, your courage was the driving force in this case, and I hope that the life sentence of this predator brings you some measure of justice and relief,' said Jose R. Figueroa, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Miami. 'This investigation underscores the global and horrific nature of child sex trafficking and the importance of international cooperation to end it.'
Miami Herald
14 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Miami pharmacist who sexually abused girls in Colombia is off to prison, feds say
A Miami pharmacist will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he attempted to board a flight to Colombia to sexually abuse young girls, federal prosecutors say. Stefan Andres Correa, 42, was arrested in April 2024 at Miami International Airport after officers searched nine phones Correa had on him and inside his luggage. They found more than 100 videos of Correa having sex with more than 50 young girls — some as young as 9, court records show. Correa admitted that he was traveling to Bogota, Colombia, to sexually abuse minor girls. Officers, records show, uncovered text messages where Correa offered a sex trafficker $75 to sexually batter children between 10 to 12 years old. In March, Correa pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of a minor and production of child sexual exploitation material. He was handed down his lengthy sentence on Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom. READ MORE: Miami pharmacist raped preteens, feds say. He paid to sexually abuse more in Colombia 'This prosecution and this sentence should serve as a warning to any predator who is trying to travel through our District to prey on children. We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,' U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O'Byrne said in the Southern District of Florida's news release. '...Predators such as Correa are a scourge upon humanity, and must be dealt with accordingly.' In messages with a sex trafficker, Correa said he would give a girl an iPhone XS Max, according to court documents. He, in another text, wrote, 'If she behaves, and takes good care of me, you can keep bringing her and you'll each get [$75].' When Correa spoke to investigators, he told them he had traveled to Colombia about 45 times to 'have sex with minors,' records show. In a letter to the judge, Correa said he was taking accountability for his actions — and stated that he 'had a unhealthy yet treatable sex drive.' Correa will be locked up at the Federal Correctional Institution Marianna, a medium-security prison in Florida's Panhandle. The case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations agents in Miami, Cleveland, Ohio, and Bogota, Colombia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Astigarraga, the deputy chief of the major crimes division, prosecuted Correa. 'This investigation underscores the global and horrific nature of child sex trafficking and the importance of international cooperation to end it,' said Jose R. Figueroa, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Miami, in a news release.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘Are you from California?' Political advisor said he was detained at airport after confirming he's from L.A.
Veteran Los Angeles political consultant Rick Taylor said he was pulled aside by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents while returning from a trip abroad, asked if he was from California and then separated from his family and put in a holding room with several Latino travelers for nearly an hour. 'I know how the system works and have pretty good connections and I was still freaking out,' said Taylor, 71. 'I could only imagine how I would be feeling if I didn't understand the language and I didn't know anyone.' Taylor said he was at a loss to explain why he was singled out for extra questioning, but he speculated that perhaps it was because of the Obama-Biden T-shirt packed in his suitcase. Taylor was returning from a weeklong vacation in Turks and Caicos with his wife and daughter, who were in a separate customs line, when a CBP agent asked, 'Are you from California?' He said he answered, 'Yeah, I live in Los Angeles.' The man who ran campaigns for L.A.'s last Republican mayor and for current Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla when he was a budding Los Angeles City Council candidate in the 1990s found himself escorted to a waiting room and separated from his family. There, Taylor said he waited 45 minutes without being released, alleging he was unjustly marked for detention and intimidated by CBP agents. 'I have no idea why I was targeted,' said Taylor, a consultant with the campaign to reelect L.A. City Councilwoman Traci Park. 'They don't talk to you. They don't give you a reason. You're just left confused, angry and worried.' The story was first reported by Westside Current. Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said the incident brought to mind Sen. Alex Padilla, who was arrested and handcuffed June 12 while trying to ask a question during a Los Angeles press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. 'My former chief of staff and political consultant, Rick Taylor, was detained at Miami International Airport by federal authorities after returning from an international vacation,' he said in an email. 'As Senator Alex Padilla said a couple of weeks ago, 'if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.' This Federal government operation is OUT OF CONTROL! Where will it end?!' A representative from the Customs and Border Protection in Florida said an inquiry made by the Los Angeles Times and received late Friday afternoon will likely be answered next week. 'If Mr. Taylor feels the need to, he is more than welcome to file a complaint online on our website and someone will reach out to him to try and get to the bottom of things,' CBP Public Affairs Specialist Alan Regalado said in an email. Taylor, a partner at Dakota Communications, a strategic communications and marketing firm, said he was more concerned about traveling and returning to the U.S. with his wife, a U.S. citizen and native of Vietnam. He said he reached out to a Trump administration member before leaving on vacation, asking if he could contact that individual in case his wife was detained. The family flew American Airlines and landed in Miami on June 20, where he planned to visit friends before returning to Los Angeles on Tuesday. In a twist, Taylor's wife and daughter, both Global Entry cardholders, breezed through security while Taylor, who does not have Global Entry, was detained, he said. He said after the agent confirmed he was a Los Angeles resident, he placed a small orange tag on his passport and was told to follow a green line. That led him to another agent and his eventual holding room. Taylor described '95% of the population' inside the room as Latino and largely Spanish-speaking. 'I was one of three white dudes in the room,' he said. 'I just kept wondering, 'What I am doing here?'' He said the lack of communication was 'very intimidating,' though he was allowed to keep his phone and did send text message updates to his family. 'I have traveled a fair amount internationally and have never been pulled aside,' he said. About 45 minutes into his holding, Taylor said an agent asked him to collect his luggage and hand it over for inspection. He said he was released shortly after. 'The agents have succeeded in making me reassess travel,' Taylor said. 'I would tell others to really think twice about traveling internationally while you have this administration in charge.'
