FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — An underage victim was rescued, and four suspects were arrested in Fulton County following a 10-month long human trafficking investigation, Attorney General Chris Carr reported in a press release. The 14-year-old victim had been missing for seven weeks.
It all began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children issued an alert, sparking an investigation by the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Unit Investigator Bryan Kimbell located and rescued the underage victim in Feb. 2021, approximately seven weeks before the victim was reported missing.
A Fulton County Magistrate Court later issued arrest warrants for two suspects in Fulton County on Nov. 2, 2021 and for two additional suspects in Fulton County on Dec. 6, 2021, Carr said. A list of the charges against the four individuals can be viewed below.
- Human Trafficking for Sexual Servitude, Rape, Child Molestation and Cruelty to Children. If convicted, the maximum potential sentence is life in prison plus 40 years.
- Human Trafficking for Sexual Servitude. If convicted, the maximum potential sentence is life in prison.
- Human Trafficking for Sexual Servitude, Cruelty to Children, False Imprisonment and Aggravated Assault. If convicted, the maximum potential sentence is life in prison plus 40 years.
- Human Trafficking for Sexual Servitude. If convicted, the maximum potential sentence is life in prison.
“Our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit continues to play an integral role in our state’s response to the abuse and exploitation of Georgia’s children,” Carr said in a press release. “Our team works from the ground-up to identify potential cases, locate and rescue victims, and prosecute buyers and traffickers. We remain dedicated in our efforts to protect our state’s most vulnerable citizens and look forward to presenting these cases in court.”
The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has made nine arrests, initiated 25 cases, and rescued and assisted 107 victims in 2021.
The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office Trafficking and Child Exploitation Unit, South Fulton Police Department, Union City Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations law enforcement agencies all assisted in the 10-month long investigation that led to the rescue and multiple arrests in the case.