Carr: Human Trafficking Investigation Leads to New Arrest in DeKalb County

ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that Virginia Ann Bates, 37, of Forest Park, has been arrested and charged with Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude and Pimping following an investigation conducted by the office’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Specifically, Bates is alleged to have knowingly harbored and provided a 16-year-old female and an adult female to sex buyers in DeKalb County. Bates is further alleged to have collected a portion of the financial proceeds from the commercial sex acts of both victims.

“As we have said from the very beginning – anyone who is engaged in the sexual exploitation of a child will be held accountable for their actions,” said Carr. “We will not rest in our efforts to protect our most vulnerable Georgians, and we will continue to fight against human trafficking in every corner of our state.”

A DeKalb County Magistrate Court Judge issued arrest warrants* for Virginia Ann Bates on Feb. 29, 2024. Bates was taken into custody on March 25, 2024, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, the Forest Park Police Department, and the Clayton County Police Department. This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

About the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit

In 2019, with the support of Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp and leaders in the Georgia General Assembly, Attorney General Chris Carr created the first-of-its-kind statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

Last year, the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit rescued and assisted 129 victims. The Unit has obtained 32 new convictions since January 2023.

The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has 36 defendants who are currently under indictment for sex or labor trafficking, with some facing charges in multiple jurisdictions around the state.

The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is housed in the Prosecution Division, which also includes Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit and his Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Unit.

*Members of the public should keep in mind that arrest warrants contain only allegations against the individual who has been arrested.