NBA All-Star weekend is something that many people look forward to, including the players, coaches, and of course, the fans who are visiting the area for the festivities. This year, things turned bad quickly due to a variety of sex offenses and related arrests throughout the area.
Local FBI, along with Louisiana State police and other agencies, arrested 22 women and four men on a variety of prostitution-related charges during All-Star weekend, which spanned Feb. 15 and 16. Along with this, there was another sting operation that led to the arrest of four men accused of soliciting sex from women whom they thought were minors.
The women arrested for prostitution do not live in the area, but instead came from out of town, including the following states: Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Florida, and California.
Fortunately, local law enforcement officials were aware that this type of activity could be taking place, and were set up for anything that came their way. There were several state and federal agencies that had a hand in on the sting.
Although sex crimes are often common during special events, such as NBA All-Star weekend, this is not something that goes away when a city is not hosting visitors. Instead, the problem can tend to persist.
This story shows the seriousness of sex offenses, including how these are treated by the authorities. In the event that a person is accused of such a crime, consulting with a criminal law attorney is usually a step that must be taken early on as social stigma can mount if the information gets to the public; among other protections, pairing up with a legal team can keep a lid on things to prevent the bias of any judges or jury.
Source: The Times-Picayune, “Sting operations net prostitution arrests during NBA All-Star week” Jacob Bielanski, Feb. 21, 2014
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