Man accused of trafficking runaway teen after offering her food
By Rachael Perry
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PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — A Palm Beach County man is facing numerous charges, accused of human trafficking a teenage girl.
According to the probable cause statement, Marlon Honore is facing a list of charges, including human trafficking, battery of a child, and unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
The charges stem from a November 2025 incident involving a 17-year-old girl. According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Honore saw the victim walking and offered to buy her food. The victim accepted and got into his truck.
The police report shows Honore allegedly drove the victim to a warehouse in Pahokee, where he worked on vehicles and would occasionally stop to kiss her. The victim told investigators the sexual acts progressed over time, and Honore paid her $300.
According to the police report, the victim told investigators Honore struck her with a belt after she asked for a vape pen.
The victim also reportedly told investigators that Honore did not threaten her but told her not to tell any of her friends, and said he did not want to get in trouble because “his homies don’t know he gets down like this.”
According to the PBSO, Honore eventually dropped the victim off two days later, and she went home. Court records show the two continued to communicate via Instagram, and Honore attempted to convince her to sneak out to meet him.
Detectives interviewed Honore, who denied the accusations. According to court records, Honore said he met the victim in Lake Worth, and they talked about her being a runaway. Honore said he told her to go back home and gave her some money so she could buy something to eat. The police report shows Honore denied going anywhere with the victim but admitted to speaking with her every other day.
The probable cause statement shows the victim’s parents called 911 after finding the messages on the teen’s phone.
Honore was arrested and booked in the Palm Beach County Jail. The judge ordered that he be held without bond on four of the eight counts against him and set bond at $58,000 for the remaining four counts.
WPBF 25 News spoke with attorney Dave Aronberg to better understand what is considered human trafficking in the eyes of the law when the case involves a minor.
“Human trafficking, when it comes to a juvenile, involves commercial sex acts, and you don’t need force, fraud, or coercion as you do for adult human trafficking. So if someone pays a juvenile money for sex, that can be considered human trafficking,” Aronberg said.
Aronberg said human trafficking laws have gotten stricter over the years.
“If you are convicted of trafficking a child under 18 years old for commercial sexual activity, you can face life in prison. So, Florida has made this very tough sentence because we want to discourage this. This is a plague on our entire state because we see so many cases of it. It is modern-day slavery, even if the underage girl says she’s consenting, she cannot consent under the law,” he said.
Aronberg said that’s because it’s an unequal relationship due to the age difference, and, in nearly all cases, underage individuals cannot consent to sexual activity with an adult.
He went on to explain that commercial sex acts include the victim being promised or given something of value in exchange.
“So it doesn’t have to be money. It could be something else of value. Also, if the defendant claims that he didn’t know the victim was a minor, that is not a defense, because ignorance of the victim’s age under Florida law is not a defense, even if the victim misrepresented her age. It’s not a defense. It’s strict liability here,” he said.
WPBF 25 News also spoke with Laura Cusack with the Human Trafficking Coalition of the Palm Beaches. She echoed Aronberg’s words regarding how human trafficking of a minor is defined.
“If this individual is offering her food, a bottle of water, shelter, and clothes, that is an item that has value, right? So when it’s traded for any sexual act that meets the federal definition of human trafficking,” she said.
Similar to what Aronberg explained, Cusack said the law doesn’t factor in whether the minor victim wanted to be with the adult.
“If they’re under the age of 18, it doesn’t matter if the minor says, Oh, I want to do this. I wanted to go with him, whatever the case may be. The law says they still can’t consent and so they’re seen as a victim,” she said.
Cusack said it’s important to understand that aspect and ensure the victim is treated as such in the court of law. She said it’s also important to avoid blaming the victim.
“It’s easy to think like, Oh, you could have left, but sometimes you’re leaving to go back to just as bad a situation or worse. Maybe they went willingly, let’s say, but went willing to get help, went to get maybe the item that they needed or that protection or shelter, or just like a day to collect their thoughts,” she said.
As the number of human trafficking cases grows, especially with cases happening online, Cusack said education is key.
“You may be thinking this would never happen to my kid, right? My kid wouldn’t run away, my kid, whatever. It still could. You may have a child’s friend who’s going through a difficult time, and they may not know that they can confide in anyone else besides you,” she said.
That’s why Cusack said it’s important to understand what a trusted adult is and how to be one.
“You want to make sure that you’re educated and prepared, so if they did reach out to you, maybe you are that child’s trusted adult, that you know what they’re talking about, even if they’re not using the words, human trafficking, you know the resources, you know where to get help. Really, I think that’s where this issue changes if we all educate our circle and be that safe person in our circle,” she told WPBF.
Cusack said the public should also be educated on the signs of human trafficking and when to report it.
“Anytime you suspect that person’s under the age of 18, you don’t have to know for sure, you can just think maybe she looks like she could be 15 or 16, we encourage you to report that to the child abuse hotline, which is 1-800-96-ABUSE,” she said.
Under Florida law, all adults are mandated to report suspected abuse or exploitation, or trafficking of a minor.
“If you see something and you’re kind of concerned, just make a report, leave it up to the investigators to confirm if they’re really 18 or not. You could be that one person who actually had the guts to make the call, and it led to maybe that child being brought home,” she said.
For survivors of trafficking or similar crimes, Cusack said she hopes they know it’s not their fault.
“This person took advantage of you. It’s not your fault. You might have done something that you regret. We’ve all done things we regret. But that person was in the wrong to exploit and take advantage of whatever difficult situation you were in. And so there’s no shame in coming forward. Law enforcement has heard every single case you can think of,” she said. “There’s nothing that you’re going to say that’s going to shock them, embarrass them, or make them judge you. They just want to help you. So come forward and talk to a safe adult or law enforcement to get the help that you deserve.”
The Human Trafficking Coalition of the Palm Beaches has a list of resources available for victims, along with educational resources for those wanting to learn more.
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