FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) — Five men are in custody following an undercover sex trafficking sting operation in Fond du Lac.
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says the arrests should open eyes for people in the community.
“It occurs here, and there are people that are willing to buy and pay for illegal sexual activities in our community,” Waldschmidt said. “I often hear people tell me: ‘You don’t need to focus on that, sheriff. It’s a victimless crime. It’s something people are consenting to. They’re adults, and as long as it’s consensual, it’s no big deal.’”
But he argues that rhetoric couldn’t be further from the truth.
“The reality of it is, unfortunately, many of these victims – most of whom are female – they are coerced, or violence is threatened or used against them, or they’re intimidated into performing these acts,” Waldschmidt explained. “They’re not the ones receiving the money. They may be paid at the scene, but the money is flowing to somebody who is using them over and over, and victimizing them over and over again.”
The operation took a long day and tons of manpower to pull off, after being in the planning phases for several months. Authorities utilized a variety of spots around town as command centers before dropping the bait.
“We used different locations in the city to attract people to something different than what they thought it was. They certainly didn’t show up thinking it was a sting operation,” Waldschmidt said. “It ended shortly after midnight, so it was a long-term activity and it’s one of more to come.”
While no victims were rescued in Thursday night’s sting, Waldschmidt hopes it will still have an impact for their future.
“Our goal is to deter those who may be seeking these services out, hold them accountable if they do seek these services out, and then rescue the victims in the trade and get them out of that cycle,” Waldschmidt told WTAQ News.
He compared the sex trafficking industry to the drug trade. There always seems to be another link in the chain.
“These types of criminal activities have large webs, and this is just one small weave in that web…You then continue to work your way backwards and try to learn more and hold others accountable for their actions,” Waldschmidt said. “This is just the beginning…Investigators will continue investigations that have opened up, a new avenue that has opened up through these five arrests. So this will be an ongoing and continuing investigation.”
The suspects are expected to be charged with statutes in the realm of ‘intent to purchase illegal sex acts,’ and others that may come down as the investigation unfolds.
The investigation also included the Wisconsin Department of Justice says its Division of Criminal Investigation, along with the State Patrol and Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office.
