On May 12, 2022, the FBI arrested Alan Li, a resident doctor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, for attempting to sex traffick a 12-year-old girl. Li faces charges of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted coercion or enticement of a minor younger than 14. Li, 26, is being held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami until sentencing.
According to his arrest affidavit, the FBI began an investigation of Li after a tip was called in by a Ohio woman alleging Li tried to buy underage girls as sex slaves. The woman told the FBI that she initially met Li on a dating/escort site and met in person once. She told the FBI that during their date, she told Li that she was trafficked at a young age. The two lost touch for about a year, and in March 2022, Li reached out to her on Snapchat, asking if she knew how to find his friend, Michael Chen, young girls in the Miami area. Li wrote, “My friend wants to meet young girls and is willing to pay, can you help him out?” The woman asked what he was looking for, and Li replied back with “girls ideally 8-15.”
The woman told law enforcement she believed Li and Chen were the same person and that she knew Li worked at Mount Sinai Hospital. She also alerted hospital staff of Li’s actions. The woman allowed an FBI agent to take over her Snapchat account to communicate with Li/Chen. When Li contacted the woman for an update, the FBI employee gave him a phone number for an investigator posing as a “trafficker,” the affidavit said. The two messaged back and forth a few times and discussed payment. Li agreed to $500 for one hour with the 12-year-old. He then asked if he could pay in cash or Bitcoin, and said he didn’t want to use CashApp because he would have to provide his social security number.
The two also discussed a “long-term set up” and Li mentioned he had a “live in situation” before with a 13-year-old girl. They then discussed him purchasing a minor to live with him, and the “trafficker” asked how he would keep the 12-year-old “quiet and unseen.” He replied with, “Ya I mean I’ll keep everything locked up, but she is well behaved I assume?” Li asked if the “trafficker” had ever set up a permanent situation and how much it cost, and the “trafficker” replied a one-time payment of $20,000, to which Li said that was reasonable but that he had to meet her first.
According to media reports, the two arranged to meet on April 12, but Li canceled, saying he had to work late. There were no communications until April 29, when the “trafficker” messaged Li about having some high-end girls in town. For the next few days, they messaged intermittently about girls available, including ages and prices, and on May 2, Li messaged the agent asking if anyone was available. The “trafficker” wrote back that there were 12 and 15-year-olds available, and Li agreed to the rates. Li then messaged woman again saying that he was feeling nervous.
Li ultimately never followed through on arrangements to meet and buy an underage girl, but the FBI made the case in the criminal complaint record that investigators found probable cause that Li had attempted to traffic a minor for sex.
Mount Sinai released a statement stating, “Mount Sinai’s top priority is the safety of our patients, visitors, and employees. The individual is no longer employed with the medical center. Mount Sinai Medical Center cannot comment further on matters regarding ongoing investigations and legal proceedings. To the extent that we are aware of an incident, the appropriate authorities are contacted immediately and have our full cooperation.”
If you or someone you know has been subjected to sexual miscodnuct by a physician or at a doctor’s office or hospital, it is important to have experienced legal counsel. We are experienced in handling cases involving sexual assault by doctors and other medical personnel. If you have been a victim of sexual assault by a doctor in a hospital or medical office, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at (954) 641-2100 or send an email to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at adam@adamhorowitzl