Sixteen kids ranging in age from 13 to 17 were rescued in a prostitution sting linked to the Super Bowl, reports Fox News. The teens came from 13 different states, and some had been reported missing by their families, reports AP. Some were foreign nationals. The FBI said it arrested 45 pimps in the months-long sting, and they're accused of plotting to make the teenagers available to Super Bowl tourists in the New York City area, reports the Star-Ledger.
"High-profile special events, which draw large crowds, have become lucrative opportunities for child prostitution criminal enterprises," said an FBI official in a statement. A different agency spokesperson said the arrests—made in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in the weeks and months leading up to the game—weren't necessarily related, reports Time. About 50 adult women who authorities say were forced into prostitution also were rescued in the crackdown, say authorities. (More sex trafficking stories.)