Luis David Garrido-Garcia
Introduction
Luis David Garrido-Garcia, 25, of West Palm Beach, was convicted by a federal jury of attempting to sex traffic a minor after he negotiated a price to engage in sexual activity with a girl he believed was 15 years old and traveled more than an hour to meet her. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. Garrido-Garcia faces up to life in federal prison; sentencing has not yet been set.
Background Information
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Garrido-Garcia negotiated a price for commercial sex with a girl he believed was 15 years old. Despite being told repeatedly that the girl was a minor, he agreed to pay for sexual activity and traveled more than an hour to meet her. Instead, he was taken into custody. Garrido-Garcia subsequently admitted that he intended to engage in sexual activity with the girl in exchange for money — an admission that closed off any reading of the trip as a misunderstanding.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted. A jury found Garrido-Garcia guilty of attempted sex trafficking after he was told again and again that the girl was 15 years old, negotiated a price for sex anyway, and drove more than an hour to meet her.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones said: “Luis David Garrido-Garcia was told again and again that the girl was 15 years old. He negotiated a price for sex anyway, drove more than an hour to meet her, and arrived intending to follow through. The jury’s verdict makes clear that those who seek to buy sex from children will be held accountable.” The negotiated price, the repeated notice that the girl was a minor, the agreement to pay, and the drive to the meeting place were the spine of the trial evidence the jury accepted.
Public Reaction and Consequences
“Protecting minors from sexual exploitation remains one of our highest priorities,” Reding Quiñones said in announcing the verdict. The case was investigated by HSI Miami and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Wilson and Justin Chapman. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice; led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, it marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.
Current Status
The jury verdict, announced October 22, 2026 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, is the disposition of record; sentencing has not yet been set. Garrido-Garcia faces up to life in federal prison, and a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Related court documents may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, under case number 26-cr-80145.
Impact on Their Career/Life
At 25, Garrido-Garcia now carries a federal jury conviction for attempting to sex traffic a child — returned after he was repeatedly told the girl was a minor, negotiated a price anyway, and set out to meet her, and paired with his own admission of intent to exchange money for sexual activity. The exposure is up to life in federal prison, a sentence range that reflects the child exploitation framing of the charge rather than an ordinary commercial-sex prosecution. The case stands, in the U.S. Attorney’s words, as proof that “those who seek to buy sex from children will be held accountable.”
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, “West Palm Beach Man Convicted of Attempting to Sex Traffic a 15-Year-Old Girl” — source