Sex Trafficking Arrests from Multistate Crackdown

On Monday, June 23rd, the FBI crackdown sex trafficking arrests lead them to save several children across multiple states in the country, reportedly rescuing 168 children.

In addition to the children saved from sex trafficking – many of whom had never been reported missing – the FBI stated that they had arrested 281 pimps and arrested on federal charges.

“These are not faraway kids in faraway lands,” FBI Director James Comey said in announcing the annual enforcement push known as Operation Cross Country. Instead, he added, “These are America’s children.”

The week-long sex trafficking arrests sting is the 8th such operation, unfolding in 106 cities across the US this year alone. So far, according to the FBI, these operations have saved 3,600 children from sex trafficking rings since Innocence Lost was founded. The operation has also landed 1,450 convictions on child sex trafficking charges, the seizure of $3.1 million in assets, and 14 life sentences.

“Targeting and harming America’s children through commercial sex trafficking is a heinous crime, with serious consequences,” Comey said. “Every child deserves to be safe and sound. Through targeted measures like Operation Cross Country, we can end the cycle of victimization.”

“Child sex traffickers create a living nightmare for their adolescent victims,” Leslie R. Caldwell, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), said in a statement. “They use fear and force and treat children as commodities of sex to be sold again and again. This operation puts traffickers behind bars and rescues kids from their nightmare so they can start reclaiming their childhood.”

Operation Cross Country is part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, established by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and the Department of Justice in 2003 to stop child sex trafficking in the US.

“Operation Cross Country reveals that children are being targeted and sold for sex in America every day,” John Ryan, President and CEO of NCMEC, said. “We’re proud to partner with the FBI and provide support to both law enforcement and victim specialists in the field as they help survivors take that first step toward freedom.”

South Carolina sex trafficking arrests were made against two South Carolina residents.

In addition to the two arrests, 11 juveniles were recovered from South Carolina and Georgia.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Federal Sex Crime Charges

If you have been charged with a federal sex crime, from sexual harassment to child prostitution, contact the criminal defense attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case. Based in Columbia, SC, our law firm has practiced throughout South Carolina for 16 years, and our federal criminal defense attorneys have a strong understanding of the complexities of federal sex crimes legislation. Contact us today for help. 803.252.4800.