The FBI announced Tuesday the results of a nationwide sex trafficking crackdown that saw 149 underage victims rescued and 153 alleged pimps arrested.
Among them were seven victims — and nine traffickers — from Georgia.
“Human trafficking is a monstrous and devastating crime that steals lives and degrades our nation,” U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a news release. “As a result of the FBI’s outstanding coordination and exemplary efforts alongside state and local partners during Operation Cross Country, more children will sleep safely tonight, and more wrongdoers will face the judgment of our criminal justice system.”
Those arrested in Georgia and charged with pimping included:
• Amanda McConnell, 39, arrested by Alpharetta police;
• Kevin Lashawn Adams, 37, arrested by DeKalb police;
• Hadrian Crichlow, 34, arrested by DeKalb police;
• Shannon Mussa, 24, arrested by Alpharetta police;
• Latoya Tamara Taylor, 33, arrested by Cobb police;
• Sharnece Joyner, 24, arrested by Marietta police;
• Kelvin Howard, 60, arrested by Clayton police;
• Christopher J. Pudwill, 30, arrested by Perry police;
• and Billy Dewayne Denson, 40, arrested by Perry police.
Specifics about their alleged crimes were not provided.
In Georgia, 31 local and state agencies assisted in the operation, which the FBI called its largest in nine years of such efforts.
The 149 victims recovered nationwide included three transgender minors and three males, authorities said. The youngest victim was 12 years old.
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