Virginia Beach, Va. - Five people in Virginia Beach who were among 153 accused pimps busted in the FBI's Nationwide human trafficking operation were all denied bond.
Three juveniles in Hampton Roads, ages 16-17, were rescued and officials say there are actually a dozen pimps arrested across several cities including Chesapeake, Hampton, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
About 149 underage trafficking victims were rescued across the country. The youngest victim was 12-years-old, three of them were transgender minors and three were males.
On Monday, Virginia Beach Police say they arrested five people at the Virginia Beach Econo Lodge on Northampton Blvd. including Tajaika R. Blackston, Shade A. Castro, Cordario M. Uzzle, Keith D. Threat and Darryl T. Threat.
They have all been charged with sex trafficking with the intent to receive money, receiving money from the earnings of a minor prostitute and racketeering.
Blackston, Castro and the Threats were also charged with aiding prostitution. Three of the accused are also facing maintaining a bawdy place charges.
NewsChannel 3 reporter Nadeen Yanes was in court on Wednesday gathering more details about the case.
She says the five people arrested were accused of pimping at several Virginia Beach hotels, including a location on Newtown Road and the Econo Lodge where they were all arrested.
The five suspects have a criminal history, and three of the suspects are currently on probation.
Every suspect but Shade A. Castro admitted to their participation in the case in court on Wednesday, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney
The charges came to light after a 16-year-old victim escaped from the hotel.
According to the Commonwealth's Attorney, Tajaika R. Blackston and Darryl T. Threat were dating at the time, and allegedly tried to pimp out the victim but had reservations. The couple then sought help in Shade A. Castro, who posted ads online and began pimping out the victim. Blackston and Darryl Threat soon followed suit.
The Commonwealth's attorney also said that Cordario M. Uzzle and Keith D. Threat also pimped out the victim. Uzzle was the accused of being the most involved. Prosecutors say when the victim refused to perform sex acts, Uzzle assaulted her, kicked her until she bled and threatened to find and hurt her family.
Drugs, firearms and fake currency were all found on site, but no formal charges have been filed on these offenses as the investigation continues.
The FBI's initiative called Operation Cross Country IX, is a national program led by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. State and local law enforcement officials also helped to capture suspects involved.
Officials say this operation is the largest ever in their 9-year history. This initiative included 54 FBI field offices and more than 500 law enforcement agencies across 134 cities.
“Human trafficking is a monstrous and devastating crime that steals lives and degrades our nation,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “As a result of the FBI’s outstanding coordination and exemplary efforts alongside state and local partners during Operation Cross Country, more children will sleep safely tonight, and more wrongdoers will face the judgment of our criminal justice system. The Department of Justice will continue to aggressively and persistently fight this heinous crime, and to hold its perpetrators accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
