Agents with 18 law enforcement agencies successfully apprehended 25 people near Dallas during a child prostitution sting, according to a press release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The arrests resulted from a four-day operation that resulted in the rescue of five minors.
Reports state that of the 25 individuals taken custody, four were “pimps,” 18 were “johns,” and three solicited sex from children.
The five child victims recovered by agents were all reportedly females, ages 16 and 17. Several of them had willingly run away from home, according to the FBI. In addition to the minors, dozens of other women working as prostitutes were discovered. All victims recovered were offered food and shelter by various programs.
“Collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement is crucial to identify and interrupt child prostitution operations,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Diego Rodriguez said in a statement. “The FBI and our partners are committed to providing care to the victims of child exploitation and bringing justice to those who try to profit from these criminal activities.”
The large-scale collaborative between agencies was a part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, a program launched by the FBI in 2003.
According to the FBI, the initiative was started “in conjunction with the Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children…This combined effort was aimed at addressing the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the United States.”
The recent operation is only the latest in a string of arrests in Texas related to child prostitution this year.
In March, Breitbart Texas reported on 31-year-old Anthony Nelson, better known as “Flip,” of Tyler, Texas who allegedly drove children across the state line so that they could engage in prostitution. An indictment obtained by Breitbart Texas states that during November and December 2013, Nelson drove two minors across state lines with the intention of prostituting them. He was already a convicted sex offender–in 2003, he was found guilty of Aggravated Assault of a Child.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
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