In a nationwide crackdown on child prostitution, the U.S. government has charged 31 people and arrested 19 in the past two days for their roles in sex trafficking, Justice Department officials said Friday.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the charges and arrests were part of Innocence Lost — an ongoing investigation into child prostitution and organized rings that lure children into the sex trade in the United States.
“Our society has no place for those who prey on children and no tolerance for child prostitution or sex trafficking,” Gonzales said at a news conference.
More than 30 children, as young as 12 years old, were rescued in the latest phase of the nationwide operation. Since Innocence Lost began in 2003, 200 children have been rescued and 500 people have been arrested.
According to NBC News, authorities said that profits from the enterprise were laundered into homes and luxury cars. Cash, jewelry and electronics were also seized as part of the operation.
The 31 people were charged in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Hawaii. Nineteen of those charged were arrested and 12 have not yet been caught, officials said.
“The abhorrent acts alleged in these charges include children being herded around the country as sex slaves, forced to work as prostitutes in brothels and at truck stops, and beaten at the hands of pimps and peddlers,” Gonzales said.
Chris Swecker, head of the FBI’s criminal investigative division, said a recent study showed about 300,000 young people in the United States are currently at risk of becoming victims of commercial and sexual exploitation.
“A large percentage of these children run away from home because of physical, sexual and psychological abuse,” Swecker said, noting that the average age of a child who enters into prostitution is 14.
