JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three people, including a suspected pimp, were arrested in a joint prostitution sting conducted by the FBI with help from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
According to investigators, an undercover FBI agent posed as a customer who was looking for a prostitute at a Holiday Inn Express on Beach Boulevard after responding online via a website. A woman arrived at a designated room where, according to an arrest report, she acted as though she was searching for recording devices.
Moments later, police entered the room and arrested the woman for prostitution. The man who drove her to the hotel, police said, was identified as Mario Green, 34. He was charged with two counts of human trafficking, one count of prostitution and one count of living off the money of a prostitute.
Another woman was also arrested in the sting and charged with prostitution. News4Jax has chosen not to identify them. Investigators have not confirmed if they were suspected prostitutes or victims of human trafficking. News4Jax crime and safety analyst Ken Jefferson explained the difference.
"Prostitutes primarily have sex for money. A person who has been trafficked is enslaved," Jefferson said.
If convicted, Green could face up to 20 years for each count of human trafficking.
The FBI said there were other arrests during the sting throughout the Jacksonville area. That information was expected to be released at a later date.