Monday, June 23, 2014 | 4:14 p.m.
Federal authorities report the arrests of two pimps and the recovery of seven children in Las Vegas during Operation Cross Country VIII, a weeklong action to address the trafficking of children for sex throughout the United States.
Las Vegas was one of 106 cities nationwide where the operation was carried out last week. Across the country during the operation, the FBI reported 168 recoveries of children who were being victimized through prostitution. Additionally, 281 pimps were arrested on state and federal charges.
“Targeting and harming America’s children through commercial sex trafficking is a heinous crime, with serious consequences,” FBI Director James B. Comey said in a news conference today in Washington, D.C. “Every child deserves to be safe and sound. Through targeted measures like Operation Cross Country, we can end the cycle of victimization.”
Operation Cross Country is part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative that was established in 2003 by the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, in partnership with the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The latest Operation Cross Country sweep was the eighth of its kind.
To date, nearly 3,600 children have been recovered from prostitution, the FBI said. Investigations have led to 1,450 convictions, including 14 life terms, and the seizure of more than $3.1 million in assets.
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