Maria Guzman, 36, was one of 216 people arrested in a prostitution sting in Polk County, Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd said. Guzman faces charges of human trafficking, he said. (Polk County Sheriff's Office)
Deputies in Polk County, Florida, arrested more than 200 people and rescued 21 possible human trafficking victims in a week-long prostitution scheme, Sheriff Grady Judd said Thursday.
Investigators in the operation, dubbed "Traffic Stop 2," charged people with a total of 44 felonies and 242 misdemeanors. Two people — Maria Guzman, 36, of Orlando, and Freddy Escalona, 30, of Chicago — were arrested on human trafficking and deriving proceeds from prostitution charges.
"Sometimes we work an entire operation without being able to identify human traffickers because the ladies are scared to death of them so we think it's a big, big deal we were able to charge them with human trafficking," Judd said.
He also noted that while most people think of human traffickers as men, Guzman is an example that they can be women as well.
"She's the one that was setting the appointments. She's the one that was prostituting two young ladies. She was taking 60 to 70% of their money," Judd said.
Guzman met two women online and convinced them to move from Minnesota to Orlando to work in construction, according to Judd.
"She didn't define what the construction meant," Judd said. "Yeah, they were gonna construct sexual encounters."
Escalana loaned a woman $2,200 for a car repair and when she didn't have the money to pay him back, she was forced into prostitution, Judd said. She was forced to continue to be a prostitute well after the debt was paid, according to Judd. After Escalana was taken into custody, he told detectives that he had several women who were prostitutes for him, deputies said.
The Sheriff's Office has begun working with groups that can identify and aid the victims of human trafficking.
"That one decision resulted in all identified victims being recovered and released, and resulting in dozens of others recognizing that there is a life out there for them," said Marianne Thomas of My Name My Voice. "And it afforded those individuals opportunities to change their life."
There were also over 80 people arrested for soliciting a prostitute and 83 taken into custody for prostitution. One of the suspects told detectives she left his daughter alone at home with the family dog so he could meet up with a prostitute.
"We interviewed the dog and the dog said woof," cracked Judd. "I guess that means yes in dog language."
Another man entered the home that was being used as the undercover operation despite seeing a police car that was out front moments earlier. Judd dubbed him as the dumbest criminal he ever saw arrested.
"I talked with him and said you win the trophy," Judd said.
