Correa was arrested on April 19, 2024, at Miami International Airport as he was preparing to board a flight to Medellín. Nine cell phones were found in his luggage, containing 58 videos and more than 100 photographs of child abuse, as well as explicit conversations with local pimps in which he expressed interest in “virgins.” A search of one of the cell phones also revealed a text message exchange with a sex trafficker in Colombia, who Correa agreed to pay $300,000 Colombian pesos (the equivalent of $75 USD) to arrange for commercial sex with children who were 10 to 12 years old.

The evidence was gathered through an investigation led by the Transnational Homeland Security Investigations Group (TCIU – SIJIN DIPRO), the Attorney General’s Office, HSI, and with support from the Mayor’s Office of Medellín through Operation Hunter.

“This sexual predator will face a long prison sentence in his country for crimes committed in Medellín. The sentence is the result of Operation Hunter, an example of what can be achieved with intelligence, international cooperation, and, above all, the determination to combat this crime. This is a historic result, the product of a parallel investigation conducted in both Miami and our city. The capture and conviction of both ends of a criminal network, the sexual offender and the pimp were achieved in both countries. We will not allow Medellín to be seen as a destination for sexual crime,” stated Mayor Federico Gutiérrez.

“Predators such as Correa are a scourge upon humanity, and must be dealt with accordingly.” – US Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne

The investigation also led to the identification of six direct victims in Medellín, who provided valuable testimony during forensic interviews conducted by HSI in Colombia. The minors recounted how Correa, who called himself.
“Cris” offered them money, lodging, clothing, and electronic devices in exchange for sexual acts. Two women who were part of his network, Lina Marcela Velázquez Maldonado and María Camila Cuervo, were also arrested and convicted of pimping and sexual abuse of a child under 14 years of age.

“This conviction is just one step. We are making progress in criminal proceedings against Correa’s accomplices and will continue collaborating to capture all those involved. Our commitment is absolute: to protect our children. Many more arrests are coming, and the investigation continues,” the president stated.

Stefan Correa will be imprisoned in a United States prison. Meanwhile, in Colombia, a mirror investigation is progressing that could lead to new arrests and expand the judicial siege against those who facilitated these crimes. The Mayor’s Office of Medellín reiterates its unwavering commitment to the defense of children, effective international cooperation, and a zero-tolerance policy against the sexual exploitation of children.

“The United States of America will always seek to protect children near and far,” said US Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “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. A life sentence for this conduct is entirely appropriate. Predators such as Correa are a scourge upon humanity, and must be dealt with accordingly,”  Hayden added.

“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, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Miami. “This investigation underscores the global and horrific nature of child sex trafficking and the importance of international cooperation to end it. I thank our federal and Colombian counterparts for their steadfast dedication and reiterate HSI’s continued commitment to holding those who prey on minors fully accountable,” Figueroa continued.

HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from HSI offices in Cleveland, Ohio, and Bogotá, Colombia, as well as US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, also provided critical assistance. Major Crimes Deputy Chief Assistant US Attorney Lauren Astigarraga prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by US Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat functions are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential, and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.

To report online child sexual exploitation, visit https://report.cybertip.org/ or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in partnership with HSI and other law enforcement agencies.

To learn more about the National Resource Hotline, visit https://www.humantraffickinghotline.org. To learn more about the US Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking, visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

Headline video credit: Law & Crime Network YouTube, Featured image credit: City of Medellín.

Debtor in Possession financing under US law allows a firm in Chapter 11 bankruptcy to borrow money under strict conditions that subordinate existing debt and claims, with the goal of allowing the firm to emerge from bankruptcy as an operating business, and existing creditors to receive more than they otherwise would should the firm be liquidated.

Avianca’s proposed DIP financing structure consists of a Tranche A senior loan and a Tranche B subordinated loan, under which the airline seeks to obtain a total of approximately $1.2 billion USD of new funds ($900 million USD of Tranche A and $316 million of Tranche B) excluding any rollups of existing debt and purchase consideration. Total DIP facilities inclusive of rollup consideration will be $2.0 billion, consisting of a $1.3 billion Tranche A and a $700 million Tranche B. Both tranches will be secured ratably by a lien on all available collateral, with the Tranche B subordinated in right of repayment to the Tranche A.

Avianca says that it has now reached key agreements, subject to definitive documentation, the requisite consents and approvals from the relevant entities, U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval and other customary conditions, with various parties that are providing substantial funding towards such DIP loans. These agreements will allow the airline to offer prospective lenders a significantly enhanced collateral pool of assets to secure all of the DIP loans.

Breaking News: Former Avianca Chairman Germán Efromovich Arrested On Corruption & Bribery Charges (click here)

Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. have been engaged by Avianca subject to U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval, to serve as co-lead arrangers and joint physical bookrunners of the Tranche A DIP Loans. The providers of this financing may include certain of Avianca’s existing lenders, other prospective third-party lenders, and possibly the government of Colombia. Additional information about the potential financing will be posted on Avianca’s website.

Key DIP Agreements to Date

The three key agreements that have been reached, as integral elements of the securing the $1.2 billion of new DIP financing, are as follows:

1. Avianca’s Tranche B DIP financing will include funding from its existing stakeholder lenders as well as new investors consisting of $316 million of new money financing and a rollup of approximately $384 million of secured convertible debt issued in December 2019 and January 2020. The property that currently secures the existing Stakeholder Facility – Avianca’s 70% equity interest in LifeMiles, as well as certain Colombian Peso-denominated credit card receivables – will now be available to secure the DIP financing.
2. Avianca also has reached an agreement in principle with an ad hoc group of holders of Avianca’s 2023 senior secured notes; this agreement will be memorialized in a restructuring support agreement (RSA) between Avianca and holders of a majority of the notes. Pursuant to the RSA, all holders of the notes will have an opportunity to provide up to $250 million of new money commitments to the Tranche A DIP, with certain holders of notes agreeing to backstop $200 million. The RSA provides that holders of notes who become a party to the RSA will have the opportunity to roll up a portion of their notes into the Tranche A DIP, with the aggregate amount of rollup equal to $220 million of the Tranche A DIP. The RSA also provides for the collateral presently pledged to secure the notes, including Avianca’s trademarks, certain freighter aircraft and Avianca’s residual equity interest in certain pools of aircraft, to be pledged on a senior secured priming basis as additional collateral to secure the DIP loans.
3. In addition, Avianca has reached an agreement in principle with AI Loyalty (Cayman) Limited, holder of a 30% ownership stake in Avianca’s loyalty company, LifeMiles Ltd., to acquire 19.9% of LifeMiles equity, currently held by AI Loyalty for a combination of cash and Tranche A DIP loans and also to receive a call option to acquire AI Loyalty’s remaining equity stake in LifeMiles for cash. As a result of this agreement, Avianca will own 89.9% of LifeMiles upon the closing of the transaction, with a path toward ultimately buying back 100% of LifeMiles. These incremental stakes in LifeMiles will also be available as collateral to secure the DIP facility.

All monetary figures are US Dollars in this article.