Suit: Fairfax police officers protected sex trafficking ring

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed by a prominent civil rights attorney alleges that police officers in Fairfax County protected a sex trafficking ring in northern Virginia in exchange for free sex from the trafficked women. The lawsuit also names the former Fairfax County Police chief, Ed Roessler, as a defendant, alleging that he helped cover up for the officers when another detective’s work threatened to expose their wrongdoing. The suit was filed on behalf of a Costa Rican woman identified only as “Jane Doe.” It says the officers would tip off the trafficking ring to suspend its advertisements on sites like backpage.com in advance of sting operations run by police. The defendants and county officials did not respond to requests for comment.