A senior Pentagon official who oversees federal schools was busted in a sex trafficking sting in Georgia.
Stephen Hovanic, 64, chief of staff for the Americas division of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), was one of 26 people arrested by the Coweta County Sheriff's Office during an operation conducted on November 15 and 16.
Six human trafficking victims were also rescued during the operation.
"The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office conducted a Human Trafficking Operation on November 15 and 16, 2023, and requested the HCSO Special Ops Div to assist. During the two days, six victims of Human Trafficking were rescued and moved to safety," the Haralson County Sheriff's Department wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "A total of 26 arrests were made, 12 for prostitution, 10 for pandering, and four for pimping. Three of the individuals are currently under investigation for human trafficking and drug charges." 2/2
A total of 26 arrests were made, 12 for prostitution, 10 for pandering, and four for pimping. Three of the individuals are currently under investigation for human trafficking and drug charges.
#Teamwork#SpecialOperationDivision#HCSO
— Haralson Co Sheriff GA (@HaralsonSheriff) November 20, 2023
According to a report from Fox News, Hovanic was charged with pandering, a misdemeanor, after he allegedly solicited sex in a motel room with an undercover agent.
"This kind of operation is really important to us, because, number one, sex buyers are a huge problem in the industry. Without sex buyers, there wouldn't be a market for the females to continue to be victimized," an agent told FOX 5. "Second, and probably most importantly for all of us, is the victimization of these females. There's not a good scenario for them in this lifestyle, so the goal is to get them out of this lifestyle."
The DoDEA told Channel 2 Action News in a statement that it is "aware of an alleged incident involving a DoDEA employee in the Americas Region."
"As there are ongoing legal processes, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. Any questions regarding the incident should be directed to the local law enforcement agency involved," the statement continued.
Fox reports that they also reached out to DoDEA for comment about Hovanic's arrest on Friday but did not immediately receive a response.
"The federal school system did, however, list Hovanic's former position as chief of staff for the Americas as 'vacant' on its website," the report noted.
