FLINT, Mich. – Twelve men have been arrested and charged in Genesee County for attempting to engage in sex acts with children in the second sting operation in as many months. According to Sheriff Robert Pickell, the victims ranged in ages from 13 to 15.
The most recent arrests are attributed to the GHOST task force’s latest phase to target human traffickers. The men are charged with multiple felonies, including:
- Child sexually abusive activity
- Children-accosting for immoral purposes
- Computer/internet-communicating with another to commit a crime
Several high profile community members are among those who were arrested, including a former law enforcement officer, the finance director of a charitable organization and a member of the Army National Guard.
According to NBC News 25, the first sting, which began in April, had already entangled Flint financial advisor John Barrows, Carl , a senior Vice President of Comerica Bank, and George Huffman, who ran for the United States Senate the State House of Representative.
The operation began with the placement of an ad on the dark web. The ad used photos of “young looking males and females”.
One of the accused, Michael Foster, was also allegedly having sex with a 2-year-old family member and a 6-year-old girl that had allegedly been trafficked by her mother, Jennifer Beckman.
