TBI charges 22 men in human trafficking operation

BRENTWOOD, Tennessee (WDEF) – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announces 22 arrests of men in an undercover operation in Brentwood.

Investigators were after people attempting to purchase illicit sex from minors.

The operation took place at a Brentwood hotel in October.

Two female TBI agents posed as young girls offering sex on Backpage.com.

They told people who responded that they were 14 to 16 years of age.

If the men showed up anyway, they were arrested.

The net trapped a computer programmer, automotive engineer, construction worker, and a chef.

“This is, without doubt, a demand-driven crime, involving men from all kinds of backgrounds” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “We need more men to stand up and talk honestly about how we got here as a culture and what we need to do to fix it. Unless we’re willing to hold one other accountable, we will continue to see too many people victimized by this kind of crime, with no one to blame but ourselves.”

On the last day of the operation, male TBI agents posed as clients of the website and got in touch with women advertising on it.

The idea was to make contact and offer the women a way out.

They contacted two of them, but both declined the services offered from a nonprofit agency.

“Unfortunately, the results of this joint operation demonstrate the need for continued vigilance for signs of human trafficking in our communities,” said 21st District Attorney General Kim Helper. “The fact that so many men were willing to engage in sexual activity with who they believed to be a 14- and 16-year-old is shocking. Our office will continue to vigorously pursue and prosecute individuals involved in any form of human trafficking.”