Trafficking battle hits US, Jax with FBI sting

Sting saves 149 exploited children nationwide, over 150 pimps arrested

An officer with the Alexandria (Virginia) Police Department monitors an undercover sting operation in a hotel room during Operation Cross Country.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A nationwide sex trafficking investigation that landed 25 people behind bars in Northeast Florida and recovered a juvenile from Jacksonville who was being forced into prostitution is an important annual operation to combat the sex trade, according to the head of the FBI's Jacksonville office.

The FBI partnered with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for the operation, which was conducted in 135 cities.

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Operation Cross Country IX recovered 149 sexually exploited children, the youngest of whom was 12 and led to the arrests of more than 150 pimps and other individuals. One of the children is from the Jacksonville area.

None of the 25 people arrested in Jacksonville were considered pimps, but the operation did identify two pimps who have not been arrested yet. The two dozen local arrests were for drugs, prostitution and outstanding warrants.

Fifty-seven to 25 people that were arrested were not necessarily pimps. They were arrested on outstanding warrants. They were arrested for drug paraphernalia, that sort of thing, and for prostitution.

Katy Carignan, co-chair of the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Coalition, said a lot of the children who are used as prostitutes get addicted to drugs and wind up continuing in prostitution.

"What happens with trafficking is very quickly the trafficker will put them on drugs. Immediately gets them involved in some sort of prostitution and a lot of times, I've worked with survivors before, and the hardest thing is going back to their families. The traffickers tell them no one's going to love them anymore, no one could love them anymore," Carignan said.

Carignan points out that TV shows and movies paint a skewed picture of what sex trafficking is. She said it's not just children locked in a dungeon or basement, it happens in all kinds of neighborhoods and cultures usually with someone who's dominant making a person too scared to get help.

"Any kind of fraud or coercion to get someone to do any kind of work for you or any kind of sex act, where money or other goods change hands, that is trafficking," Carignan said. 

Special Agent in Charge Michelle S. Klimt? said the operation is something the FBI does every year because the sex trade problem is so big and happens everywhere.

"The reason it is important is this is something that goes on every day: 24/7 throughout the United States," Klimt said. "People prey on our children, forcing them into human trafficking and prostitution."

The Jacksonville takedown was a joint effort with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Clay County Sheriff's Office, Nassau County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The vast majority of the children recovered in this operation were girls. The FBI says three were boys and three were transgender.

"A lot of these juvenile prostitutes are advertised on social media and social networking," Klimt said." A lot of these victims are victimized by their family members or friends of families." 

VIDEO: Operation Cross Country Takedowns

It's a sad cycle the FBI and local law enforcement agencies are trying to stop.

"Everybody who was arrested and the victims, they are all interviewed, and really what we are trying to do is determine who the pimps are and go after those pimps," Klimt said. "So we do gather intelligence and we have gathered enough intelligence that we have potentially identified two pimps responsible for child prostitution in just this area."

More than 500 law enforcement officials took part in sting operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops and other areas frequented by pimps, prostitutes and their customers.

The names of the people arrested were not immediately released.

LINK: FBI's Violent Crimes Against Children

"Human trafficking is a monstrous and devastating crime that steals lives and degrades our nation," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. "As a result of the FBI's outstanding coordination and exemplary efforts alongside state and local partners during Operation Cross Country, more children will sleep safely tonight, and more wrongdoers will face the judgment of our criminal justice system."

Klimt said even one child sold for sex is one too many and she hopes operations like this one can get the children off the streets and into safety.

An officer with the Alexandria (Virginia) Police Department monitors an undercover sting operation in a hotel room during Operation Cross Country.

"The bottom line is what we are trying to do is recover the children that are being exploited by these predators that are out there," Klimt said.

Most of the children have been given resources for basic needs like food, clothing and shelter, as well as medical treatment and counseling. Now the FBI is working with different police and private agencies to get additional support for the children, including rehab for drug addictions.

Since its creation in 2003, the Innocence Lost program, a joint effort among the FBI, Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, has resulted in the identification and recovery of approximately 4,800 sexually exploited children.

Prosecutors have obtained more than 2,000 convictions of pimps and others associated with these trafficking crimes, including at least 15 cases that have resulted in life sentences.

For people wanting to learn more about what they can do to help, or what they should do if they suspect someone is a victim there are options.

The Human Trafficking Resource Center has a toll free hotline at 1-888-373-7888 and have more resources and information on their Facebook page.


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.