SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 27, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Multiple Utah law enforcement agencies have conducted an undercover operation resulting in the arrest of a dozen people suspected of using the internet to solicit and entice minors, the District Attorney’s Office says.
“Operation Technical Foul was organized by (the) FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force around the All-Star Weekend and led to the arrest of 12 individuals over a 10-day period,” says a statement issued by the office of Salt Lake County D.A. Sim Gill.
“All those taken into custody are being held in the Salt Lake County Jail. The cases were reviewed by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and charges are being filed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will further review the cases for any potential federal charges.”
Gill shared comments in the provided statement:
“The safety of our children is of paramount importance. Those who prey on and exploit our most vulnerable will be prosecuted to the full force of the law. This is a collaborative effort to keep our community safe. I appreciate the time that was dedicated to this operation during the All-Star weekend.
“When many in Salt Lake County were enjoying the events for the All-Star weekend, others took this as an opportunity to violate the law,” he added.
The FBI led Operation Technical Foul with help from the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, the Davis County Attorney’s Office, Davis County Sheriff’s Office, South Jordan Police Department, Unified Police Department, Tooele City Police Department, Clearfield Police Department, Utah State University Police, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.
