Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, and the mayor of Medellín, Colombia gathered Wednesday in Scottsdale to publicly reaffirm their joint commitment to stopping the sexual exploitation of minors across both countries.
The partnership has resulted in 35 arrests over the last year and a half, including both American and Colombian citizens belonging to a network of child exploitation. Two Arizona men have received life sentences for targeting children in Colombia.
Jason T. Stevens, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Arizona, said the cases underscore a danger hiding in plain sight inside family homes.
"We wouldn't allow people in our house we don't know, and we definitely wouldn't allow people in our children's rooms, but we allow our children, under the cloak of privacy, to be able to go into their room and close their door and then they're in their room in online communities speaking with people all around the world," Stevens said.
Federico Gutierrez, mayor of Medellin, Colombia, traveled to Arizona for the event and thanked American authorities for their efforts to prosecute people harming children in his city.
"American citizens that have committed crimes against kids in Medellin," Gutierrez said.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Timothy Courchaine emphasized the stakes of the ongoing effort.
"No person is for sale, let alone any child," Courchaine said.
Stevens said the work goes beyond holding offenders accountable.
"For us we know we're not just putting away a suspect; we're also protecting a child," Stevens said.
Dozens of additional cases are already open, and law enforcement officials said they will prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
The collaboration with Colombian authorities is one of many international partnerships HSI maintains in its broader effort to combat child exploitation across borders.
DHS' Know2Protect campaign offers age-appropriate materials and conversation tools to help parents talk to their children about safe online behavior.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Want more news in your community? Add ABC15 as a preferred source on Google below:
