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FBI rescues Montgomery girl, arrests 19 in sweep targeting child prostitution rings
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Law enforcement authorities participating in a nationwide sweep targeting child prostitution rings rescued one local girl and arrested 19 D.C.-area people, the FBI said Wednesday.
In a five-day roundup dubbed “Operation Cross Country,” authorities targeted 16 cities, arrested 345 people and recovered 21 children who were forced into prostitution. The girl who was rescued lived in Montgomery County.
FBI officials said they weren’t able to provide details of the area arrests late Wednesday, but they said the sweeps also took place in D.C., Fairfax County and Alexandria. Investigators were still questioning the suspects to learn more about the inner workings of prostitution networks, FBI spokesman Jason Pack said.
During the sting, which took place from June 18 through Monday, authorities arrested 345 people, including 290 adult prostitutes.
“The sex trafficking of children remains one of the most violent and unforgivable crimes,” FBI Director Robert Mueller said at FBI headquarters. “What is different as we stand here today is that we are faced with the increasing use of social network sites and other advances in technology to carry out these crimes and facilitate these criminal enterprises.”
Many of the children involved were runaways who were lured in by pimps with offers of shelter or drugs. The adults then beat or starved the children to get them to agree to work the streets, officials said. Twenty-five percent of adults involved in the sex trade began as child prostitutes themselves, Pack said.
This week’s sweeps capped off five years of similar stings nationwide. The Innocence Lost initiative was launched in 2003 to address the growing problem of child prostitution in America. Three of the cases touted by the FBI on Wednesday occurred in D.C., including that of a man and woman who operated their illegal sex business online, setting up appointments and reserving hotel rooms over the Internet.
In five years, the initiative led to the conviction of 308 pimps and hookers and the rescue of 433 child victims.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
smccabe@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
3:07 PM MST on Wed., Aug. 20, 2008 re: "Dixon says city working hard to crack unsolved slayings"
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Baltimorian Mom said:
Yesterday, I watched 3 different people pull over a police car that could not make it pass a three block radius because of crime. There was a contracter in the next block that had his car broken into; I saw him him run out after them, 1st. We need policing effeciently and effectively working our streets. The department for one has too many cheifs and not enough indians. They are understaffed and underpaid , moreover, our mayor makes political moves. How can a city overwhelmed with gangs, drugs, landlord-tenant confrontations, addicts, cheaters and beaters, embezzlers, and cover-uppers save money. We are not in the position. Lay down some real limitations to hold folks back, and maybe we'll be able to put money in another plan.
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mad family said:
Being a family member of one of the victims I beleive that it is the courts that are failling these woman my family member DID NOT survive the attack but our family has known this man was out there we even handed out fliers about this man called several news channels and news papers and nothing was ever said about it and now they care???? unusual only because a relative of a city official was killed ??????????????
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allen said:
People, who don't want to tackle the drug issues in Baltimore, are the people who have a direct benefit to drugs being here. Most people in this city would be happy to pay a little more property tax, if we built another prison and kept the dealers in them for longer periods of time. Most people in the city would give time to build a prison to reduce the cost too. Sickos, addicts, and dealer don't make a city desirable, health people and lives make it a place to want to live. Clean the city up, people will move in, taxes will come in, taxes will then go down for the individual....it's simple really. And as for pity for the sick, get over it, if you don't help yourself you don't deserve the pity.
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Examiner Reader said:
If Pigtown is ever going to be a decent neighborhood it's going to take the efforts of the residents. Relying on our "mayor" is a waste of time.
2 agree | 0 disagree
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johnn said:
where were you shelia, when martin omalley and ed norris were ignoring thease women,that were being killed....where was your consern then .you put every police officer in federal hill,because jenna bush lives there now,and you are catering to those white folks.well what about your own people,what are you doing about those 17 black police officers that were fired,illegally by martin omalley,were is your consern there,why is it taking you so long to settle that case,could it be that you dont give a d.....m,or hate your own people that,much.now ,all of a sudden you care about the street walkers of baltimore,,guess what they were there 20 years ago when you were in office,where were you then....sleep..high..stealing money
2 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
and PIGTOWN it is.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Head said:
I agree with allen, drugs are killing the hookers. Everything else is just symptoms of the cause. Walking the streets makes them easy prey for all types of sickos. Remove the drugs and the rest of the crimes will follow.
4 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
We don't need a court for prostitutes, we need a government run brothel. Make the girls get check up's every month and tax them.
4 agree | 1 disagree
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Kiwi said:
While I agree there are many ways the police should be spending their time other than focusing on prostitution, this article is how the residents of Pigtown are fighting back in their own way. I applaud them for their grassroots efforts to take back the neighborhood in which they live. If the johns are just poor victims of sex addiction, they should bring the drugs and prostitutes into their own suburban neighborhood rather than dumping their trash on someone else's doorstep.
3 agree | 1 disagree
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allen said:
You want to get rid of the hookers; you have to go after the drug dealers idiots!!!! The hookers will most likely move on if you take away the quick access to drugs. The residents can get rid of the hookers themselves too. Sit and watch the guy pick the hooker up. I've stared in the car window of people as they talked to the girl they've come to pick up. Just show some balls, these girls are defenseless and easy to intimidate!! Yell at them, show no respect to them. Don’t feed the hookers either they will stay for that too. Drug dealers tare Pig Town apart more than hookers. It’s just like Southwest Mount Clare; the dealers there are out in full force every night tearing lives and the community apart. The police are making an effort, but we need lawmakers to make effort too.
3 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Was san Mateo Sherriff Greg Munks Caught in the San Carlos Sting ?
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is compleatly outragious, so much vandalism stolen cars robberies in san carlos and the police focus on hookers . FIRE THAT CHIEF OF POLICE !
908 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
San Francisco is experiencing a historically high homicide rate and we are arresting prostitutes. Now that is money and manpower well spent - jeeessh.
49 agree | 44 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
You call this poor of excuse of a female, a mother. What Mother would do such a thing to a child? It is definitely unexcusable. She should have taken her sorry a## somewhere and got a job. Of course when its(the trial) over, she isn't going to get anything but a slap on the wrist, some time in rehab, some counseling(all of which she should have gotten in the first place). And last but not least, in a few more years when the teen goes out and do something criminal, of course it will be blamed on her past treatment of what her mother did to her.
44 agree | 46 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How about the Weekly or the Bay Guardian? Their back pages are FULL of prostitutes. I mean escorts. No... I mean prostitutes.
46 agree | 49 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
id rather have this energy being put towards arresting gang bangers and crack dealers
86 agree | 44 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Why do I have to learn about a brothel AFTER it is raided? A great newspaper would let people know of a brothel BEFORE the cops bust it.
64 agree | 57 disagree
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