National Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Sting Results in 373 Arrest

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Cook County Sheriff’s Office
312-603-4242

For Immediate Release
February 6, 2014

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COOK COUNTY, IL – A national coalition of local law enforcement agencies conducted a sting operation that led to the arrests of 359 would-be sex buyers and 14 pimps/traffickers, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.

The seventh “National Day of Johns Arrests” ran for 12 days from January 23 through February 2, culminating with the Super Bowl – an event long considered a haven for sex trafficking. The sting brought together 27 agencies throughout 15 states in a widespread crackdown on the demand for purchased sex.

These sweeps were conceived by Sheriff Dart in 2011 to highlight the role of sex solicitors as perpetrators to this violent and exploitative industry. Since then, the national coalition – which the Cook County Sheriff’s Office leads – has grown from eight agencies to 51. The operation also targets pimps and traffickers who have forced victims into lives of prostitution.

Charges stemming from this effort include adult and juvenile felony sex trafficking, criminal solicitation of a minor, pimping, promotion of adult and juvenile prostitution and public indecency. In addition to the sex-related arrests, the sweeps yielded charges relating to drug trafficking and possession of illegal firearms.

The Super Bowl sting’s results reflect growing momentum for this national campaign. Across the seven operations over a three year stretch, the collaborative effort has resulted in the arrests of 1,832 total johns.

“This broad national partnership and the sheer number of arrests should send a strong message to prospective sex solicitors that their ‘hobby’ will inevitably land them in jail or worse,” said Sheriff Dart. “These women have been brutalized and victimized – and the most effective way to deter these heinous crimes is to target the demand.”

Cumulative numbers from the “National Day of Johns Arrests” campaign are as follows:

Arrest totals

• 373 arrests
• 359 sex solicitation arrests (johns)
• 14 sex trafficking/pimping arrests

Additional penalties for the johns

• $149,470 in minimum potential fines
• 144 cars towed/forfeited from johns
• 8 weapons seized from johns
• 14 narcotics charges for johns
• 7 johns taken into custody due to outstanding warrants
• 5 johns taken into custody for either resisting or evading arrest

Victims/Prostitutes

• 31 prostitutes recovered
• 17 adults, 14 juveniles

Noteworthy anecdotes from the sweep include:

• Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Harris County Constable Precinct 4 deputy (who was wearing his uniform trousers at the time) as part of its johns sting
• St. Paul PD arrested a pimp who had been holding two 18-year-old girls against their will
• LAPD arrested a pimp who drove all the way from Arizona to collect what he thought was a new recruit; LAPD’s undercover officers found that he brought an 18-year-old girl who he had forced into prostitution, with her 5-year-old son in the car as well (they have been rescued)
• The Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County law enforcement, Indianapolis PD, Phoenix PD and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office all arrested in excess of 30 johns during the sting
• The collective efforts of Harris County law enforcement resulted in 48 johns arrests, the most of any agency
• Dayton PD arrested 5 pimps and sex traffickers, the most of any agency

Agencies who participated in the Super Bowl sting include:

1. Phoenix PD (Arizona)
2. Los Angeles PD (California)
3. San Jose PD (California)
4. Aurora PD (Illinois)
5. Cook County Sheriff’s Office (Illinois)
6. Lansing PD (Illinois)
7. Lake County Sheriff’s Office (Illinois)
8. Indianapolis PD (Indiana)
9. Boston PD (Massachusetts)
10. Homeland Security Investigations (Massachusetts)
11. St. Paul PD (Minnesota)
12. Las Vegas PD (Nevada)
13. Cincinnati PD (Ohio)
14. Dayton PD (Ohio)
15. Sharonville PD (Ohio)
16. Portland PD (Oregon)
17. Bergen County Prosecutors Office (New Jersey)
18. New Jersey FBI (New Jersey)
19. Minot PD (North Dakota)
20. Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (South Carolina)
21. Memphis PD (Tennessee)
22. Dallas PD (Texas)
23. Harris County Sheriff’s Office (Texas)
24. Harris County Constable Precinct 3 (Texas)
25. Harris County Constable Precinct 4 (Texas)
26. Newport News PD (Virginia)
27. Seattle PD (Washington)

Agencies that are part of the ongoing National Day of Johns Arrests coalition include:

28. FBI Chicago (Illinois)
29. Elgin PD (Illinois)
30. Kane County Sheriff’s Office (Illinois)
31. Lansing PD (Illinois)
32. Lake County Sheriff’s Office (Indiana)
33. Gary PD (Indiana)
34. Denver PD (Colorado)
35. Minneapolis PD (Minnesota)
36. Roseville PD (Minnesota)
37. Central MN Task Force (Minnesota)
38. Hennepin County Attorney (Minnesota)
39. Minneapolis City Attorney (Minnesota)
40. Oklahoma PD (Oklahoma)
41. Pittsburg PD (Pennsylvania)
42. Nashville Metro PD (Tennessee)
43. Texas/Human Smuggling/Trafficking/Cyber Child Exploitation/Computer Forensics/I.C.E./Homeland Security Investigations (Texas)
44. Houston PD (Texas)
45. Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (Texas)
46. San Antonio PD (Texas)
47. Homeland Security Investigations (Texas)
48. Texas Dept. Public Safety (Texas)
49. Texas Office of the Attorney General (Texas)
50. Bexar County District Attorney (Texas)
51. Federal Bureau of Investigations (United States)