Attorney General announces arrest of 161 involved in Ohio human trafficking
COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost Monday announced that 161 people were arrested and 51 potential human trafficking victims were helped in a statewide operation for which nearly 100 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies partnered with nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations.
Operation Ohio Knows, coordinated through AG Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC), was a collaborative effort that took place from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1 to address issues that fuel sex trafficking in Ohio.
“People who traffic other humans are doing it for a really simple reason — money. And if there’s no demand then there will be no market,” Yost said Monday morning during a press conference at the Statehouse, where he was joined by leaders of law enforcement agencies and social service organizations. “Reducing the demand means we reduce the number of people who are victimized by human trafficking.
“We will not rest until no one in Ohio buys or sells human beings.”
The operation included the arrest of 161 individuals seeking to buy sex — three of who sought to buy sex from minors. During the course of the operation, law enforcement officers also arrested individuals who possessed drugs and/or firearms. Most were charged with engaging in prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor. A change in state law passed in the spring requires those convicted to undergo human trafficking education, a provision promoted by Attorney General Yost to decrease the demand for prostitution.
Among those arrested were a teacher, a professor, a firefighter, a pilot, municipal employees and a city councilman.
Fifty individuals offering to sell sex – men and women – were arrested. Law enforcement officers interviewed 51 potential human trafficking victims, who were provided services from health care and social services organizations.
A simultaneous operation carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service recovered 10 missing children.
Also participating in the press conference with the attorney general was Mandie Knight, a human trafficking survivor, who spoke about the role law enforcement played on her road to recovery.
“When I was being trafficked, I knew that law enforcement was somewhere I could turn to when I needed a safe way out, and that’s what happened,” said Knight, now resource manager for Freedom a la Cart and a wife, mother and student in forensic criminology. “Had I not been arrested, had I not gone to jail, and had I not suffered some consequences for the decisions I was making, I wouldn’t be here today and I wouldn’t be as successful in life.”
Operation Ohio Knows is the latest anti-human trafficking operation under Attorney General Yost, whose office hosts an annual human trafficking summit and provides coordination, education and outreach on the subject.
Statements from inside the operation:
FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers: “The most important work the FBI does is protecting the most vulnerable in our society. Our goal through these efforts is to work with our partners across Ohio to help recover victims and arrest those responsible for their exploitation.”
Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck: “We know human trafficking may cross several jurisdictions, and thanks to the collaboration between our local, state and federal partners, efforts like Operation Ohio Knows allow us to fight human trafficking more effectively. We are not going to tolerate this egregious behavior and will continue to pursue those who prey on others and hold them accountable.”
Cuyahoga County Sheriff Christopher Viland: “Sex trafficking is a multibillion-dollar industry that ravages our community’s most valuable resource, our residents. Human trafficking may appear to be a faceless crime, but its victims are people, people who deserve protection. It is a crime that hides and operates in plain sight. Those who profit off the sale of human beings are a catalyst of devastation towards individuals, families, and communities. Those who buy or rent a person are equally culpable in the degradation of the individual and our communities as those who traffic. Conducting proactive undercover sting operations is an effective tactic used to curtail that devastation.
For our partners in social service and non-governmental agencies, and more importantly, those in the community: We could not do this alone. Partnerships are a vital link to connecting victims and those at risk of being victimized to services that can help address the needs of a friend, neighbor, or family member.”
Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree: “Human traffickers use force and coercion to lure people who are susceptible into labor or commercial sexual exploitation. We are working to ensure the safety of the public as well as the victims. Using the resources available to use, we are attempting to identify and offer help to the victims, while seeking out the criminal organizations responsible and pursuing criminal prosecution against them.”
Southeastern Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks Sr.: “The Southeastern Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force was proud to support and participate in the 2021 fall sting operation.”
Toledo Police Capt. Joseph Heffernan: “Human trafficking, particularly sex trafficking (the illegal use of vulnerable people to make a profit through sex work), is an issue that the Toledo Police Department takes very seriously. The Toledo Police Department has been a partner with the FBI’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force for many years combating these types of crimes. By targeting those involved in this crime, we hope to disrupt this activity and provide assistance to human trafficking victims by getting them connected to advocates and resources. We are happy to partner with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and other law enforcement agencies throughout Ohio in participating in Operation Ohio Knows.”
Bureau of Criminal Investigation Superintendent Joe Morbitzer: “It is BCI’s mission to help our law enforcement partners keep Ohioans safe. As always, we are proud to assist with any operation that targets human trafficking and child exploitation wherever it is found.”