While you were relaxing this weekend, the FBI was busy coming to the rescue of more than 100 sexually exploited teenagers nationwide. In the largest action of its kind in U.S. history, FBI agents swept 76 cities to rescue children—mostly girls, some as young as 13—from the clutches of pimps who were peddling them online and in seedy motels and casinos, the agency announced today.
According to NBC News, the accused enticed the teens online with offers of money, then locked them in an exploitative cycle of drugs, abuse, and even torture. In addition to saving troubled kids, the raids (dubbed “Operation Cross Country” by the FBI) resulted in the arrests of more than 150 individuals implicated in the exploitation. The accused, if convicted, face anywhere between 15 years to life in prison, according to the FBI. More at NBC.
