FBI: Two Oregon child sex trafficking victims recovered

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, working with a number of local and state partner agencies in Oregon, said Wednesday it recovered two child sex trafficking victims as part of a national and international operation in the past week.

The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) spearheaded the “Operation Cross Country” initiative to recover minor sex trafficking victims and to target the criminal enterprises responsible for the commercial sex trafficking of children.

Across the United States, FBI task forces recovered more than 80 minors and arrested 120 traffickers. In all, 55 FBI field offices working with hundreds of local and state law enforcement partners took part in this, the 11th iteration of Operation Cross Country (OCC). International partners included Canada, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines.

The Oregon operations resulted in:

PORTLAND
Two minor sex trafficking victims recovered. (One of these two just recently turned 18 but disclosed victimization that began when she was a minor).
Nine adult prostitutes arrested and/or cited. Law enforcement and social service providers offered assistance to all contacted.

EUGENE
Five adult prostitutes contacted. Law enforcement and social service providers offered assistance to all contacted.

SALEM
One arrest – Terrence Martell Williams, age 34, on a state charge of promoting prostitution. Arrested by Salem Police Department.
Six adult prostitutes arrested and/or cited. Law enforcement and social service providers offered assistance to all contacted.

The FBI’s victim specialists work with state protective service agencies and social service providers to offer those minors recovered medical assistance, mental health counseling or other support as needed. Adult prostitutes arrested by local law enforcement partners assisting in Operation Cross Country are also given the option to receive social services.

“It can be easy to think that selling sex with children is so corrupt, so depraved that it couldn’t possibly happen in my town, my neighborhood, my school. But, as we find out every time we recover a child, these victims are here and their needs are very real,” said Loren Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “These kids are everyone’s responsibility, and they are counting on us — the FBI, local law enforcement, the community — to come together to give them a chance at a life we would all wish for our children.”

Nationally and internationally, investigators staged operations in a number of locations, including casinos, hotels and truck stops, as well as on street corners and via the Internet.

“With regards to the Oregon operations, we will not release specifics as to the stings, including their locations, to protect the integrity of future operations,” the announcement said.

“We were honored to join this massive effort to hold offenders accountable,” said Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts. “We’ve made child exploitation a major enforcement focus at our agency, with initiatives and partnerships that include our Child Abuse Team, the Inter-agency Child Exploitation Prevention Team (INTERCEPT), A Safe Place Family Justice Center and our annual Child Abuse & Family Violence Summit. We salute the FBI, our deputies and partner agencies in their large-scale effort to bring these individuals to justice.”

Oregon law enforcement partner agencies include:
FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force
Portland Police Bureau
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
Beaverton Police Department
Tigard Police Department
Lake Oswego Police Department
Hillsboro Police Department
Washington County Sheriff’s Office
Eugene Police Department
Salem Police Department
Keizer Police Department
Polk County Interagency Narcotics Team (POINT)
Lane County Sheriff’s Office
Springfield Police Department
United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon

Oregon social service agency partners include:
Safety Compass
Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC)
Clackamas County District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program
Clackamas County Juvenile Department
Multnomah County Department of Human Services
Washington County Juvenile Department
Marion County District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program
Lane County District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program
Lane County Child Protective Services
Lane County Department of Youth Services
Kids’ FIRST Center
Looking Glass

More information about this year’s operation can be viewed at www.fbi.gov/occxi.