A nationwide crackdown of commercial sex trafficking in the past week rescued 168 child victims and arrested 281 pimps who recruited minors off street corners and online, the FBI said Monday
As part of a week-long coast-to-coast campaign, law enforcement officials made recoveries and arrests in 106 cities targeting truck stops, casinos, websites that advertise dating or escort services and metro areas populated by strip clubs and pornography stores, USA Today reported, with 54 FBI field divisions and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children being involved in Operation "Cross Country VIII."
Counting as the eighth successful time a nationwide child prostitution action has been coordinated by the FBI, the past seven years of sweeps have managed to identify and recover about 3,400 sexually exploited children. It has also led to 1,450 convictions, 14 life prison terms, and the seizure of more than $3.1 million in assets, FBI Director James Comey said.
Some of the victims were in the child-welfare system before they went missing, said John Ryan of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which partnered with the FBI. "Many of these children have been abandoned, often abused and neglected. Many of these traumatized children run away because they believe it's the best option for them."
"Operation Cross Country reveals that children are being targeted and sold for sex in America every day," said Ryan, president and CEO of the national center. "Every child deserves to be safe and sound," Comey said in announcing the update.
The operation began with initial arrests covering violations of prostitution and solicitation at the local and state level. The FBI then used information extracted from those frequently arrested to zero in on organized trafficking efforts and uncover organized ways to prostitute women and children across many states.
This evidence was developed by FBI agents in partnership with U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section so that prosecutors could help bring federal charges in cities where child prostitution occurs.
Operation Cross Country is part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, established in 2003 by the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, in partnership with the Justice Department and national center.
