Ex-Ecuador expat pleads guilty for running sex tours with Ecuadorian and Colombian girls; faces 30 years in prison

A former Florida resident and Quito expat admitted in Orlando federal court Wednesday that he operated a prostitution business in Ecuador and coordinated “tours” for Americans to have sex with girls.

Federal agents in Central Florida began investigating Patrick Minga in August, when they spotted his Craigslist ad offering “sex tours” in Ecuador, court records said.

“We have the best females from Colombia to Ecuador,” the ad stated. “Lodging, food and unlimited females for $1,395 for 7 days.”

An undercover agent responded to the ad via email, and throughout a series of conversations, told Minga that he and a small group of men wanted to have sex with girls.

According to his plea agreement, Minga told the agent he could arrange the sex trip in San Jose de Minas.

Minga said he looked for girls in indigenous areas because the parents there “don’t know what’s going on,” the plea agreement said.

He told the agent the sex-tourism business in Ecuador was different, because, “They really take it personal, it’s not about money, it’s about the possibility of getting a husband as well.”

In late September, Minga told the undercover agent he needed a deposit, because, “I have to go driving around with my nephew and start giving out lollipops and telling them that there’s a possibility that your whole life could change…”

Minga later told the investigator he had to give some of the girls money to “persuade them.”

During an October telephone call, Minga told the agent about a sexual encounter he had with two girls. Minga said it was great living in Ecuador because had he been in the United States, he would go to jail “for making a pass at a young girl like that.”

When Minga traveled from Ecuador to Alabama in March, he was arrested by federal agents.

Minga, who used to live in Cape Coral, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to procure the travel of a person for illicit sexual conduct. He faces up to 30 years in prison.

In addition to his sex tours, also ran a Quito hotel and a “relocation service” for North Americans moving to Ecuador.

Credit: The Orlando Sentinel, www.orlandosentinel.com; photo caption: Patrick Minga.