Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of 116 people allegedly involved in a massive human trafficking and child predator operation in Hillsborough County while speaking at a press conference in Tampa this week.
The sting, part of "Operation Relentless Summer," included assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
“These human traffickers and child predators prey on the most vulnerable in our communities, exploiting women and children for their own gain,” Uthmeier said in a release. “Thanks to the outstanding work of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Statewide Prosecution, 116 of these criminals are behind bars, five victims have been rescued, and one trafficker is facing three life sentences. Florida has zero tolerance for this evil, and we will continue to hunt down every last one of them.”
Attorney General Uthmeier added five of the victims, three adults and two juveniles, were recovered from the operation. He also noted more arrests following outstanding warrants are expected.
According to the attorney general, the operation included "residential search warrants, warrants connected to dark web activity, undercover online chat operations, traveling to meet a minor investigations, and sex offender compliance checks."
Among those arrested were Frank Amiekumo, who allegedly recruited woman, including minors, to dance at strip clubs and perform commercial sex acts or patriciate on online sexually explicit platforms. Amiekumo, a Liberian national and green card holder, would also obtain fake ID's so the women could dance at strip clubs if they were juveniles or under 21 years old.
In addition, Amiekumo allegedly trafficked the victims on online commercial sex platforms to avoid detection using physical violence, threats, and other means to control the women against their wills.
Amiekumo has been charged with several crimes, including felony racketeering, felony human trafficking of a minor, felony lewd or lascivious battery, and felony forcing, compelling or coercing another to commit prostitution.
“Human trafficking is a crime that thrives in the shadows, and operations like this one shine a light on it,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister added. “This work is not merely a job, it’s a mission, a mission to protect and preserve the very fabric of our community. Every arrest made during Operation Relentless Summer represents a predator who is no longer a threat to the families of Hillsborough County.”
