A Fayetteville man was one of 120 people arrested in connection to a federal human trafficking investigation in which 84 minors were rescued.
Michael Earl Rogers, 31, was charged with felony promotion of prostitution in connection to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s effort. He was jailed under a $25,000 secured bond.
The FBI, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, ran Operation Cross Country XI, a nationwide effort that focused on underage human trafficking. The latest round of arrests from Oct. 12 through Oct. 15 were the 11th iteration of the operation.
The FBI said 13 law enforcement agencies in North Carolina conducted operations in Raleigh, Charlotte, Fayetteville and Lumberton. Officials said 11 people across the state were arrested and three victims were rescued.
“We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation’s children from harm. Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested—and the number of children recovered—reinforces why we need to continue to do this important work,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “This operation isn’t just about taking traffickers off the street. It’s about making sure we offer help and a way out to these young victims who find themselves caught in a vicious cycle of abuse.”
Law enforcement agencies staged operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops, on websites and on street corners. The FBI said the youngest victim was 3 months old, and the average age of victims was 15.
