Twenty-two
women and one man were arrested or cited on suspicion of prostitution during
two days of an undercover sting during the ‘Hot August Nights’ classic car and
nostalgia event across the Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe areas.
The sting
came in the heels of the Innocence Lost National Initiative aimed at addressing
the growing problem of domestic sex trafficking of children in the United
States which was launched by the FBI, in conjunction with the Department of
Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children. As part of the initiative, detectives in the
regional Street Enforcement Team on Thursday and Saturday arrested or cited
some of the suspected prostitutes contacted on the Fourth Street corridor, those contacted through online escort
advertisements and those found at a Sparks hotel-casino.
The youngest
suspect nabbed was an 18-year-old male from Reno while the oldest was a
45-year-old woman. Many told investigators they had children. Several admitted
they were drug addicts. A sizeable number say they live in California and
travelled to Las Vegas to take advantage of the ‘Hot August Nights’ classic car
event.
Police
surmise at least some of those arrested were working for pimps. Aside from
suspicion of solicitation for prostitution, charges filed against some include
obstructing or resisting a peace officer and those for drug-related offenses.