A man who worked as a driver for a Miami church is facing multiple charges after he was allegedly sexting with a 13-year-old girl he had driven to the church, authorities said.
Elvin Daniel Ortiz-Cruz, 23, was arrested Sunday outside Ministerio Internacional Jesus El Salvador Church on Northwest 23rd Street, an arrest report said.
He faces four counts of using a computer to lure a child to engage in sexual conduct, and one count each of promoting sexual performance by a child and electronic transmission harmful to minors.
The investigation into Ortiz-Cruz began on Nov. 3, when the mother of the 13-year-old reported an inappropriate conversation she found on her daughter’s phone, the report said.
The mother said it was a WhatsApp conversation between her daughter and Ortiz-Cruz with disappearing messages but she was able to view some including one that said in Spanish “You don’t want to talk if you are not going to respond anymore delete this chat and send me a screenshot. Be careful pinky promise,” the report said.
She said Ortiz-Cruz was the driver at the church her daughter used to attend and in 2024, when her daughter attended a class for children, Ortiz-Cruz would pick her up at their home and drop her off every week.
The teen said Ortiz-Cruz started texting her, asking her if she was a virgin and telling her he had a dream were she was performing a sex act on him, the report said.
She said he asked her to send him nude photos and asked her to take photos of her in specific positions, and she initially said she never sent him the photos but would send him photos of her dressed, the report said.
That same day, Nov. 3, a sergeant initiated a WhatsApp conversation with Ortiz-Cruz pretending to be the teen.
“Let’s play truth or dare,” Ortiz-Cruz said in one message, according to the report. “I dare you to dance and send me a video.”
“I can’t now I’m with my mom,” the sergeant replied.
“Go to the bathroom,” he responded. “Delete the chat and we can keep playing tomorrow,” he added, along with kisses and kissing emoji.
In another message, Ortiz-Cruz sent a photo of him laying on a bed shirtless and said “show me how you are dressed,” the report said.
After the sergeant sent him a photo, Ortiz-Cruz replied “More” with a heart face emoji, adding “One that makes you look naughty.”
“Send me a really hot picture so I can delete the chat,” he said in another message.
Ortiz-Cruz would conclude the conversations by asking that the chat be deleted, but a forensic extraction on the teen’s phone “revealed several inappropriate messages and pictures between her and the defendant,” the report said.
In a follow-up interview with detectives, the teen said Ortiz-Cruz asked if she’d like to have sex with him, and she said she sent him photos exposing her breasts, stomach and buttocks, the report said.
She also said that 3 or 4 times they connected through video calls where Ortiz-Cruz pleasured himself while she was home alone in her bedroom, the report said.
Detectives found four nude photos of the teen on her phone which she said she sent to Ortiz-Cruz, the report said.
Ortiz-Cruz was booked into jail and was expected to appear in bond court on Monday.
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