FBI Norfolk
Norfolk Public Affairs Office
Media.Norfolk@fbi.gov
October 13, 2015

FBI Announces Results of Nationwide Human Trafficking Operation

Officials from the FBI announced today that approximately 149 underage trafficking victims were rescued and 153 pimps were arrested in a nationwide human trafficking operation last week. The initiative, dubbed Operation Cross Country IX, is a national program spearheaded by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), along with state and local law enforcement partners across the country targeting the criminal enterprises responsible for the commercial sex trafficking of children.

The youngest victim in this year’s operation was 12 years old. Of the 149 victims recovered, three of those minors were transgender, and three were males. During the operation, 90 victim specialists provided on-scene direct services to the victims of sex trafficking while 105 child victims received on-site direct services which may have included crisis intervention and resources for basic needs like medical, food, clothing, and shelter.

In Hampton Roads, three underage victims, ages 16 and 17, were recovered, and 12 pimps were arrested over several days as a result of a coordinated effort with the Chesapeake, Hampton, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach Police Departments.

“Human trafficking is a monstrous and devastating crime that steals lives and degrades our nation,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “As a result of the FBI’s outstanding coordination and exemplary efforts alongside state and local partners during Operation Cross Country, more children will sleep safely tonight, and more wrongdoers will face the judgment of our criminal justice system. The Department of Justice will continue to aggressively and persistently fight this heinous crime, and to hold its perpetrators accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Operation Cross Country IX is the largest ever in the nine-year history of the initiative, with 54 FBI field offices and more than 500 law enforcement agencies taking part in the operation in 134 cities across America, including Hampton Roads. Agents and investigators conducted both “in-call” and “outcall” operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops, and in other areas known to be frequented by both prostitutes and their customers.

“We’re proud to partner with the FBI and provide support to both law enforcement and victim specialists in the field as they work to locate and recover survivors of child sex trafficking,” said Linda Krieg, Acting Chief Executive Officer of NCMEC. “The number of children recovered and pimps arrested in this year’s operation highlights the importance of these efforts today and every day in protecting our children from exploitation.”

Operation Cross Country is part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost national initiative, which began in 2003. Since the program’s inception, more than 4800 children have been rescued from underage prostitution and prosecutors have obtained more than 2000 convictions, including at least 15 that have resulted in life sentences. For additional information on Operation Cross Country IX and the Innocence Lost initiative, please visit www.fbi.gov.

Related story and raw video footage:
- Operation Cross Country: Recovering Victims of Child Sex Trafficking