Largest human trafficking sting in Ohio history nets 161, including city councilman. Good thing the PLs here at TUSCL only like strippers, and there's one that likes goats.
Typical misleading story deliberately pushed by the LE authorities, and gobbled up by the press because sex stories sell.
"Dubbed "Operation Ohio Knows," the weeklong sting was intended to create a deterrent for those who seek sex for pay or profit, Yost said."
This is NOT a trafficking sting. The quote above says it clearly. It's a prostitution sting with the HOPE that some of those arrested can lead LE to human traffickers despite there being NO evidence of any trafficking, except that of the minors involved.
I'll predict now that, as in similar stories announced in several other states in the last year, there will be ZERRO indictments or convictions for human trafficking. Zero. They will pressure the johns to cop to a misdemeanor solicitation plea, and the "victims" (aka consenting adults) to enter some rehab or support program to avoid prosecution.
The ONLY bad guys here, and I hope they get convicted for life, are the pimps who forced or coerced minors into prostitution. They need to be housed in a super max prison where the local gangs can show people who prey on minors what their intestines look like as they bleed out.
"Three of the perpetrators were willing to pay to have sex with people they thought were minors. Ten minors reported missing were recovered during a simultaneous operation carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service."
In the same paragraph...
But, the arrests of the three people were communicating with people they "thought were minors".
And the 10 minors recovered? no kidnapping charges? just reported missing? so... hmm... without details, they just want us to assume the worst?
wld4tatas I believe the reason he would want to see the mugshots can be summed up in one word - schadenfreude.
schadenfreude - noun - pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.
This seems to be one of the few prostitution stings that is at least partially human trafficking related. They recovered 12 missing children who were being pimped out during the investigation. It is hard to argue that juveniles who are being pimped out to men are not victims of human trafficking. The people who do that should not only be arrested, they should be brutally beaten by other inmates on a daily basis.
That said, the bulk of the arrests are on basic prostitution charges and not human trafficking related. They are just more of the same moral outrage policing that Ohio has gotten so focused on going back to the Larry Flint saga, the Jerry Springer charges and even further back in time.
"But, the arrests of the three people were communicating with people they "thought were minors"." - it's not like they would have actual minors communicate with child predators as part of a sting operation. Undercover cops posing as underage kids is a very common way to catch pedophiles. Haven't you ever seen "To Catch a Predator"?
Here's a thought, why don't people from the gubment pose as PLs, offer the women police protection and rehab or harm reduction for any addictions? If any are under coercion, they can try to earn their trust, so they'll flip on the actual criminals.
@Whodey - reading a different article with more information? the one linked by the OP mentions locating 10 minors that had been reported missing. Only leaves it up to the reader to assume they were in any way involved in prostitution....
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"Dubbed "Operation Ohio Knows," the weeklong sting was intended to create a deterrent for those who seek sex for pay or profit, Yost said."
This is NOT a trafficking sting. The quote above says it clearly. It's a prostitution sting with the HOPE that some of those arrested can lead LE to human traffickers despite there being NO evidence of any trafficking, except that of the minors involved.
I'll predict now that, as in similar stories announced in several other states in the last year, there will be ZERRO indictments or convictions for human trafficking. Zero. They will pressure the johns to cop to a misdemeanor solicitation plea, and the "victims" (aka consenting adults) to enter some rehab or support program to avoid prosecution.
The ONLY bad guys here, and I hope they get convicted for life, are the pimps who forced or coerced minors into prostitution. They need to be housed in a super max prison where the local gangs can show people who prey on minors what their intestines look like as they bleed out.
In the same paragraph...
But, the arrests of the three people were communicating with people they "thought were minors".
And the 10 minors recovered? no kidnapping charges? just reported missing? so... hmm... without details, they just want us to assume the worst?
schadenfreude - noun - pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.
This seems to be one of the few prostitution stings that is at least partially human trafficking related. They recovered 12 missing children who were being pimped out during the investigation. It is hard to argue that juveniles who are being pimped out to men are not victims of human trafficking. The people who do that should not only be arrested, they should be brutally beaten by other inmates on a daily basis.
That said, the bulk of the arrests are on basic prostitution charges and not human trafficking related. They are just more of the same moral outrage policing that Ohio has gotten so focused on going back to the Larry Flint saga, the Jerry Springer charges and even further back in time.