In a crackdown on human trafficking in DeKalb County, Attorney General Chris Carr reports the arrest of 37-year-old Virginia Ann Bates. The Forest Park woman faces serious allegations of trafficking a minor and an adult for sex, as stated in a press release from the Georgia Attorney General's office. "As we have said from the very beginning – anyone who is engaged in the sexual exploitation of a child will be held accountable for their actions," Carr affirmed in a statement obtained by law.georgia.gov.

Following an in-depth investigation by the Attorney General's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, arrest warrants were issued on Feb. 29 for Bates. Taken into custody on March 25, Bates is accused of selling a 16-year-old girl and an adult woman, keeping parts of the profits as detailed by the Atlanta News First. A coalition, including the U.S. Marshals Service and the Fulton County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team, assisted in the arrest, converging on the efforts of local law enforcement.

Attorney General Carr's office is at the forefront of battling human trafficking, a statement reinforced by the arrest of Bates. Last year, his unit has rescued and assisted 129 victims, securing 32 new convictions since January, Carr told law.georgia.gov. With 36 defendants currently under indictment, the message is clear: Georgia is tough on traffickers. Additionally, having been supported by key state figures, Carr has been actively pursuing a harder line against such illicit activities.

Carr's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, established with the help of Governor Brian Kemp and others in 2019, operates within the Prosecution Division. Within the confines of this structure lie the Gang Prosecution Unit and Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit, all aimed at staunching the tide of crimes that prey on the vulnerable. While Bates awaits trial, the public is reminded that charges are mere allegations at this stage, as reported by the Attorney General’s official press release.