SEATTLE — Ten teenage prostitutes have been rescued in Western Washington and 35 people have been arrested as part of a nationwide sweep, FBI agents said.
The youngsters were among 48 taken into protective custody by FBI agents and local law enforcement officers in 29 cities across the country, including Everett, Seattle and Tacoma. More than 570 people were arrested for investigation of state and federal charges, involving trafficking in children for sex, the FBI said.
Most of those arrested in Washington state will be charged under state law, but three accused of pimping could face tougher federal charges, FBI Agent Roberta Burroughs said.
Girls lured into prostitution locally often wind up on the “West Coast track,” a circuit extending from Vancouver, B.C., to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, said FBI Agent Tarna Derby-McCurtain of Tacoma, a member of a regional task force trying to rescue child prostitutes and prosecute pimps and procurers.
The teenage prostitutes found in the nationwide investigation ranged in age from 13 to 17.
“We may not be able to return their innocence but we can remove them from this cycle of abuse and violence,” said FBI Director Robert Mueller.
Historically, federal authorities rarely play a role in anti-prostitution crackdowns, but the FBI is becoming more involved as it tries to rescue children caught up in the business.
“The goal is to recover kids. We consider them the child victims of prostitution,” said FBI Deputy Assistant Director Daniel Roberts.
“Unfortunately, the vast majority of these kids are what they term ‘throwaway kids,’ with no family support, no friends. They’re kids that nobody wants, they’re loners. Many are runaways,” Roberts said.
Most of the children are put into the custody of local child protection agencies.
The federal effort is also designed to hit pimps with much tougher prison sentences than they would likely get in state criminal courts. Government prosecutors look to bring racketeering charges or conspiracy charges that can result in decades of jail time.
“Some of these networks of pimps and their organizations are very sophisticated, they’re interstate,” requiring wiretaps and undercover sting operations to bring charges, Roberts said.
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