“Denzel Washington” is among nearly 200 defendants arrested in a human sex trafficking sting involving a single Florida girl.
Although Washington is not the legendary actor, it isn’t clear if the defendant is related to Denzel.
The operation, called “Stolen Innocence,” began in 2018 and wrapped on Tuesday with nearly 200 arrests, the NY Post reported.
The girl was 13 and 14 years old at the time of the assaults, but investigators believe she was younger than 13 when the assaults began.
Among the suspects are a high-profile Florida State University booster, a middle school physical education teacher, a lobbyist, and a former candidate for local office, according to the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.
They were all charged with human trafficking of a minor, and 106 people were hit with felony charges. 18 are being charged federally, according to the Post.
Several women were also arrested and charged with arranging “play” dates with the girl in exchange for money, according to the Post.
Some of the defendants say their encounters with the girl occurred in a filthy apartment and various hotels and motels around Tallahassee.
They say the girl’s mother wouldn’t allow them to have sex with the child unless they brought her drugs and money.
It isn’t clear if the girl’s mother was charged or was part of the sex trafficking ring.
The teen was rescued by the police department’s Special Victims Unit. She is in the custody of the state and “on the road to recovery.”
