FBI arrests 150 in three days in sex-trafficking sweep
samsung1
Ohio
(Reuters) - The FBI arrested 150 people across the United States on charges of holding children against their will for prostitution, a three-day weekend sweep that officials on Monday called the largest-ever operation against child sex-trafficking.
The suspects, whom the FBI referred to as "pimps," were arrested in 76 U.S. cities and are expected to face state and federal charges related to sex crimes and human trafficking, FBI and U.S. Justice Department officials said at a news conference.
FBI agents and local police recovered 105 children during the operation at truck stops, motels, casinos and other places where they were forced to work as prostitutes, officials said.
Of the 150 suspects, 18 were arrested by agents based in Detroit, 17 by agents from San Francisco and 13 by Oklahoma City agents, the FBI said.
The FBI said the suspects were not part of the same operation. It said some belonged to organized crime while others acted alone. The bureau did not immediately release a list of the suspects.
The FBI typically does not investigate adult prostitution, leaving it as a state and local matter, but in recent years it has made child prostitution a priority in a program the FBI calls Operation Cross Country. The program includes highway billboards asking people to call the FBI with tips.
About 1,350 people have been convicted as part of the program and at least 10 of them were sentenced to life in prison, officials said.
The latest sweep was the seventh and largest under Operation Cross Country, they said.
Children who are most vulnerable to being exploited for sex crimes are between 13 and 16 years old without strong ties to family members, officials said.
"We are trying to take this crime out of the shadows and put a spotlight on it," said FBI Assistant Director Ronald Hosko.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/2…
The suspects, whom the FBI referred to as "pimps," were arrested in 76 U.S. cities and are expected to face state and federal charges related to sex crimes and human trafficking, FBI and U.S. Justice Department officials said at a news conference.
FBI agents and local police recovered 105 children during the operation at truck stops, motels, casinos and other places where they were forced to work as prostitutes, officials said.
Of the 150 suspects, 18 were arrested by agents based in Detroit, 17 by agents from San Francisco and 13 by Oklahoma City agents, the FBI said.
The FBI said the suspects were not part of the same operation. It said some belonged to organized crime while others acted alone. The bureau did not immediately release a list of the suspects.
The FBI typically does not investigate adult prostitution, leaving it as a state and local matter, but in recent years it has made child prostitution a priority in a program the FBI calls Operation Cross Country. The program includes highway billboards asking people to call the FBI with tips.
About 1,350 people have been convicted as part of the program and at least 10 of them were sentenced to life in prison, officials said.
The latest sweep was the seventh and largest under Operation Cross Country, they said.
Children who are most vulnerable to being exploited for sex crimes are between 13 and 16 years old without strong ties to family members, officials said.
"We are trying to take this crime out of the shadows and put a spotlight on it," said FBI Assistant Director Ronald Hosko.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/2…
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9 comments
- If alutard doesn't show up for a while, we'll know why (had to wait while bail is posted)
- IMO, the numbers of victims of human trafficking is grotesquely exaggerated. We hear numbers like 300,000 victims in the country many of whom are children. With that many how come they were only able to rescue 105 in such a "massive" operations?
- Does the use of the word "recovered" in this story seem like a very odd choice to others?
LOL
I think all of us would agree that no one should be forced to do something against their will; most especially children.
But as Dougster put it – “… how come they were only able to rescue 105 in such a "massive" operations …â€
I heard about this story on the news here in Miami and it was reported that although prostitutes had been arrested; no children had been found/involved (in the case of the operation dealing w/ south FL).
Especially since this sting operation went on for what I recall is 4 months before the raids. If they really cared about getting underage girls out of prostitution, they could have done it in far less time, with far less resources and no fanfare.