The FBI rescued 16 juveniles and arrested more than 45 pimps in conjunction with a child sex trafficking operation that revolved around the Super Bowl.
Some of the pimps and their associates claimed to have traveled to New Jersey for last Sunday’s Super Bowl, “for the purpose of prostituting women and children,” the FBI’s press release stated.
The FBI’s efforts, along with agencies from local law enforcements, planned the operation around an expected increase in human trafficking surrounding the Super Bowl.
“High-profile special events, which draw large crowds, have become lucrative opportunities for child prostitution criminal enterprises,” said Ron Hosko, the assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Division.
The sex workers ranged from 13-to-17 years old, and some of them had been reported missing by their families. The Bureau is now working to provide food, shelter, counseling and medical care to the workers while also trying to contact the workers’ families.
