Feds accuse Georgia man of attempted sex trafficking of child

A Savannah man and another man from South Carolina are charged with attempting to sex traffic a minor and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity in Camden and Charlton counties. They are among nearly 1,700 people arrested in a Department of Justice investigation of child sex exploitation crimes.

Steven Andrew Ross, 29, of Savannah, is charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity for incidents in Camden and Chatham counties. Benjamin Ray, 38, of Honea Path, South Carolina, is facing similar charges for incidents in the same two counties, according to Bobby Christine, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

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The federal charges for which Ray is indicted carry a penalty of 20 years to life in prison, while the charges against Ross carry a penalty of 10 years to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

“As the perception of sexual exploitation of children continues to move from windowless vans in back alleys to dark web sites on the internet, the investigation and prosecution of these vile crimes must continue to evolve,” Christine said. “We are determined, with our law enforcement partners, to find these criminals wherever they try to hide and protect the innocent from victimization.” 

Operation Broken Heart, a nationwide operation conducted during April and May by the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, led to the arrest of nearly 1,700 suspected online child sex offenders. The task forces identified 308 offenders accused of either producing child pornography or committing child sexual abuse and identified 357 children who suffered recent, ongoing or historical sexual abuse or were exploited in the production of child pornography.

During the course of the operation, the task forces investigated more than 18,500 complaints of technology-facilitated crimes targeting children and delivered more than 2,150 presentations on internet safety to over 201,000 youth and adults.

“The sexual abuse of children is repugnant, and it victimizes the most innocent and vulnerable of all," Attorney General William Barr said. “We must bring the full force of the law against sexual predators, and with the help of our Internet Crimes Against Children program, we will."