[ad_1]
SAN DIEGO – A San Diego fugitive who was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list three months ago has been found in Spain, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation San Diego.
Michael James Pratt, the owner of the adult websites “GirlsDoPorn” and “GirlsDoToys,” was arrested on Wednesday by Spanish authorities, said the FBI on Friday.
Pratt was wanted for allegedly recruiting young women and girls to shoot videos, mostly at rentals and hotel rooms in San Diego, under false pretenses and then share them online, according to the FBI.
During a September news conference, FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy said Pratt recruited hundreds of young women and girls from all over the U.S. and Canada between 2012 and 2019. Moy said Pratt operated the websites as a front to force women into commercial sex acts, generating around $17 million.
Pratt had been on the run since 2019, the FBI said. His arrest came from a request to law enforcement worldwide to find him and provisionally arrest him. Pratt is currently being held in Spain pending extradition.
“The capture of Michael Pratt is an example of how the FBI will pursue justice beyond U.S. borders — you can run but you can’t hide,” Moy said.
Pratt is currently charged in a 19-count indictment with sex trafficking, production of child pornography, sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in connection with the operation of the “GirlsDoPorn” website.
Authorities originally offered $100,000 for help in Pratt’s arrest, but the FBI did not say if someone claimed the reward money.
The two websites have since been taken down, but officials say the videos still exist.
[ad_2]
Source link
