Jamie Forzato, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Teenage girls across the world are sold into the underground world of sex trafficking every day. But one ring is close to home.
Two men were recently arrested and charged in Fairfax County in connection with a sex ring that was uncovered in Herndon last month.
Lucy Caldwell, public information officer for the Fairfax County Police Department, says the investigation is ongoing.
“Members from our gang task force and other federal partners are working with us to try to determine who all is involved in the situation,” Caldwell says. “There may be additional charges pending with other people involved in the case.”
Police uncovered the sex ring in December after an undercover officer responded to an ad listed on Backpage.com and agreed to pay for sex. When police went to the Hyatt House Hotel in Herndon, they discovered five teenage girls, four of which were minors. Police arrested and charged Edwin Barcus and Joshua Dumas in connection with the incident.
While there were apparently out-of-state gang affiliations, detectives say they have not determined if there are any gang ties here. The police department is working with federal investigators on the case.
It is not the first time northern Virginia has had to deal with sex trafficking. Just last year, five men pleaded guilty to running a sex ring in Fairfax County. They were members of the street gang Underground Gangster Crips.
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