Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that 19 people have been charged in northern Oklahoma state and federal courts following a nationwide investigation into child sex trafficking.
U.S. Attorney Trent Shores said that nine defendants have been indicted in Tulsa on a variety of federal charges, including possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.
Shores said another 10 defendants face similar state charges in Tulsa County following the monthlong investigation of child sex predators.
In addition, Shores said federal, state and local law enforcement agencies recovered four female victims of alleged sex trafficking in northern Oklahoma, including three teens and one victim who is 12 or under. Shores said some of the victims had physical contact with one or more of the defendants.
Defendants charged in the case used social media and the internet to reach out to the victims and engage with them, Shores said.
“I have zero tolerance for child predators and will use every tool available to identify and prosecute them,” Shores said. “Child victims will be given a voice.”
The FBI, which led the investigation, said 103 underage victims were identified or recovered nationwide, 67 suspected traffickers were arrested and officials opened 60 new federal investigations.
Dubbed “Operation Independence Day,” the effort involved the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. More than 400 law enforcement agencies worked with FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces in each of the bureau’s 56 field offices nationwide.
