Breaking news: FBI child prostitution sting saves 105 children, nets 150 arrests

The FBI’s largest sting operation in child prostitution has rescued 105 children and netted 150 arrests, FBI officials said Monday in a press conference at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. FBI Spokesman Ron Hosko said undercover investigators infiltrated race tracks, social media sites and truck stops. “Child prostitution remains a persistent threat to children across America,” Hosko said at the press conference covered by CNN and other media. “This operation serves as a reminder that these abhorrent crimes can happen anywhere and that the FBI remains committed to stopping this cycle of victimization and holding the criminals who profit from this exploitation accountable.” Operation Cross Country, as the FBI called it, was a three-day sting initiative involving 230 law enforcement units across 76 cities, the FBI said. The operation was massive, with 28 searches and 129 seizures of cash, drugs, vehicles and firearms, Hosko said. Rescued children ranged from 13 to 17 years of age. Hosko said Operation Cross Country’s success was due, in part, because the FBI targeted more websites, including www.backpage.com “where pimps and exploiters gather.” “It appears we were 30 percent to 40 percent more successful in identifying both victims and pimps in this operation,” he said. Hosko added that major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, are another prime breeding ground for child prostitution. The largest roundup of those accused occurred in San Francisco, Detroit, Milwaukee, Denver and New Orleans, the Detroit News said. The Detroit News reported that authorities arrested 59 in Detroit, including 18 alleged pimps. In the Bay area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that 12 children forced into prostitution as well as 17 alleged pimps were rounded up in the operation. About 2,700 children have been rescued by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies since such operations began in 2003 as part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative, the Chronicle said. “We are trying to take this crime out of the shadows and put a spotlight on it,” Hosko said.