Fourteen arrested in prostitution sweep

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

Fourteen people were arrested on prostitution charges in a recent sweep led by the Boston field office of the FBI, and one child was rescued from being exploited as a prostitute, said Gail Marcinkiewicz, a spokeswoman for the FBI office.

“The FBI isn’t investigating prostitutes and pimps, we’re investigating [the abuse of] children,” Marcinkiewicz said.

The arrests were part of Operation Cross Country, a nationwide effort to stop child prostitution and trafficking. The operation resulted in the recovery of 21 children in 16 cities.

Eight people were arrested Thursday in Braintree; five were arrested in Boston Friday; and one was arrested in Boston Saturday. Marcinkiewicz would not give specific information about how the operation was conducted.

The FBI worked on the operation with the Massachusetts State Police, the Boston, Braintree, and Quincy police, the Norfolk County sheriff's department, and the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council.

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