Coalition in Tampa track sex traffickers over Super Bowl weekend

by CJaye | January 31, 2009 at 11:20 am

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"Be sure to consult the Tampa adult entertainment guide to find the naughty spots in Tampa!" This comment left by a reader probably who knows a lot about what the sex trade is about around special events.

A local organization is in Tampa trying to track down sex traffickers over Super Bowl weekend. The Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking assists police by pointing them toward potential prostitution rings.

The group is also handing out fliers to party-goers, hoping to send a message that human trafficking is alive and real right here in the U.S. "Every time we have a big event like Super Bowl, you have pimps that move people across the nation to where there is a large activity and a quicker way to make a lot of money," Anna Rodriguez, the non-profit's founder, says.

Leaders and volunteers with the Naples-based organization plan to stay through the Super Bowl weekend. Tampa authorities report busting 20 people involved in prostitution already this week.

Source: http://www.winknews.com/news/local/38677447.html

UPDATED information 1/31/09 @10:45pm est.

Pair Charged In Tampa With Profiting From Prostitution
Pair Charged In Tampa With Profiting From Prostitution. A man and a woman are charged with felony prostitution offenses, accused of using a 17-year-old girl for sex, records show. Licata, who lists her employer in jail records as Platinum Showgirls, also is charged with procuring a person under 18 for prostitution, a felony, and offering to commit prostitution, a misdemeanor. An affidavit states the 17-year-old also was arrested, but the document does not indicate her charges. According to affidavits, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested the three at Cypress Avenue and Westshore Boulevard about 11:50 p.m.
Tampa Bay Online - Jan 27, 2009
Prostitution Plus Super Bowl Equals Jail for Michigan Man
Prostitution Plus Super Bowl Equals Jail for Michigan Man. Police accused a Michigan man of trying to make money off a prostitute whom he asked to be in town for the Super Bowl. He is charged with felony deriving proceeds from prostitution and misdemeanor marijuana possession. Tampa police arrested Jennings about 10:45 p.m. No other details about his arrest were available.
Tampa Bay Online - Jan 27, 2009
Super Bowl Crackdown: Tampa Police Targeting Prostitutes
By day's end, police had arrested 13 people on prostitution or lewd and lascivious charges. The department will target everything from on-street prostitution to the prostitution that can come from strip clubs and massage parlors. Officers don't have a goal for the number of prostitution arrests they're shooting for this week. But in the two weeks around the Super Bowl in Tampa in 2001, police made 24 prostitution arrests. The prostitution operations will help do just that, Bartlett said.
The Tampa Tribune - Jan 26, 2009