ICAC and Local Law Enforcement Collaboration Leads to Multiple Arrests

SALT LAKE CITY- Utah's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force acted on recent public tips that led to two separate arrests over the past week. In each case, the children are now safe. The ICAC task force is administered through the Utah Attorney General's Office and includes approximately 200 investigators from the UAGO and law enforcement affiliates throughout Utah.

A Provo-based female was charged with two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, thirty counts of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, forty-two counts of Human Trafficking of a Minor, and two counts of Sodomy on a Child. The victim was her own ten-year-old daughter, whom she trafficked to a man online. The investigating agency was the Provo Police Department.

"While such betrayals may seem incomprehensible to most of us, the tragic reality of human trafficking and child exploitation is that family members, including parents, can be the most serious perpetrators," said Attorney General Reyes. "Utah's ICAC Task Force led by Commander Sete Aulai includes over 200 expert investigators from our office and affiliate agencies across the state. I am inspired by the courage and resilience of survivors as familial abuse cases are extremely difficult to investigate. I am also deeply grateful for the commitment and compassion of officers, victim advocates and prosecutors handling these matters. This case, like many before, highlights the swift and supportive actions taken to provide safety for an endangered child in Utah once abuse is suspected or reported."

A separate arrest was made of a North Salt Lake-based male, who was charged with one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, ten counts of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, two counts of Lewdness with a Child + Sex Offender Prior, and ten counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The investigating agency was the Orem Police Department.

The Utah Attorney General ICAC Task Force was created in 2000 and is one of 61 ICAC task forces in the country. Because so many internet crimes against children cross state lines, the state affiliates work closely together. Utah's ICAC has 65 (affiliated) local, state and federal police agencies involved in the task force and over 180 ICAC Task Force police officers throughout the state. Read more about what parents can do to keep their children safe.

All defendants are presumed innocent until conviction in a court of law.