Last weekend The FBI executed what they called "Operation Cross Country". Agents, both local and national, in 76 cities rescued over 105 children and arrested over 150 people related, mostly, to child prostitution. In Saratoga, five women were arrested the sting. Thankfully, no children were involved with those arrested.

Ginger Wood (23), Krista Cherry (23), Marcolena Miller (27), Virginia Quesnel-Gillett (29), and Pamela Baumgardner (45) were all charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor.

District Attorney James Murphy says this is the first charge of it's kind in years for Saratoga Country. He spoke with WTEN:

While these women are charged with a misdemeanor crime, what we will be focusing on is to understand why they are allegedly doing what they are accused of.  Our hope is to assist them by offering services and enable them to discontinue this destructive lifestyle which can  involve drugs, alcohol and violence. Counselors were available during the interviewing and processing for assistance of the women if desired. Our real targets are the "pimps", who allegedly control the women. While the alleged prostitutes are charged with B Misdemeanors, we can charge the "pimps" with felonies if we can show the "pimp" controls more than one woman or uses or threatens violence against her.  We are working with law enforcement as the investigation continues to explore these and other charges against the "pimps" and each case will be dealt with individually as each woman's circumstance is different.

 

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