WASHINGTON — More than 600 adults have been arrested and 47 children rescued in a three-day roundup targeting those who force children into prostitution.
The FBI said the roundup by federal, state and local law enforcement occurred in 29 cities, adding that the raids dismantled 12 large-scale prostitution operations run through call services, truck stops, casinos and websites.
Special Agent Kathy Wright, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Denver office, said the city was not part of the sweep and that none of the activity that led to the arrests is known to be connected to Denver.
At a news conference announcing the results of Operation Cross Country II, FBI Deputy Director John Pistole said the arrests were made possible by intelligence gathered during a similar series of raids in June.
“Sex trafficking of children remains one of our most violent and unconscionable crimes in this country,” Pistole said.
The 47 rescued children ranged in age from 13 to 17, and all but one were female. Of these, Pistole said, 10 had been reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
A total of 642 people were arrested. The FBI says they included 73 pimps and 518 adult prostitutes.
The operation was part of a larger five-year initiative that has led to the recovery of 575 children and the dismantling of 36 criminal operations since June 2003.
Child prostitution has taken on a new urgency in recent years with the growth of online networks, where pimps advertise the youngsters to clients. The FBI generally gets involved in child-prostitution cases that cross state lines.
A University of Pennsylvania study estimated that nearly 300,000 U.S. children are at risk of being sexually exploited for commercial purposes.
Denver Post staff writer Joey Bunch contributed to this report.
