25 arrested in Wisconsin sex trafficking stings

Wisconsin's Attorney General has announced the arrest of 25 people in sex trafficking stings across the state.

AG Brad Schimel appeared at the Brown County Sheriff's Office Thursday to discuss the arrests, which happened during stings in July and August 2017.

"Human trafficking is modern day slavery," said AG Schimel. "One in six children who go missing will be sex trafficked."

The operations were focused in northern and eastern Wisconsin. The Department of Justice's new Human Trafficking Bureau investigated people seeking children for sex and johns who solicit prostitutes.

"Unfortunately sex trafficking is real, it is happening right here in Brown County," said Chief Dep. Todd Delain, Brown County Sheriff's Office. "And it's happening throughout the state of Wisconsin."

DCI says some of the people who were arrested were looking for sex with 14-and 15-year-old children.

"We know a vast majority of sex victims don't want to be involved with the lives they are living, which is why we take a proactive approach to solve this problem," Delain says.

Charges include soliciting a prostitute, pandering, soliciting a child for prostitution, attempted second degree sexual assault of a child, child enticement, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, exposing a child to harmful material, and exposing a child to harmful narrations.

Suspects from Door and Sheboygan Counties have been charged:

DOOR COUNTY

Gerard A. Ratajczak - Expose Child to Harmful Material; Soliciting a Child for Prostitution; Use a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime; Child Enticement-Sexual Contact; 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of Child.

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY

Austin J. Reineking - Cause Child 13-18 to View Sex Activity; Use a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime; Child Enticement-Sexual Contact

Ajinkya M. Digraskar - Cause Child 13-18 to View Sex Activity; Use a Computer to Facilitate a Child Sex Crime; Child Enticement-Sexual Contact

The following agencies helped with the sex trafficking stings:

Cottage Grove Police Department

Dane County Sheriff’s Office

Door County District Attorney

Door County Sheriff’s Office

Eagle River Police Department

Juneau County Sheriff’s Office

Kohler Police Department

Madison Police Department

Marshfield Police Department

McFarland Police Department

Monona Police Department

Rock County District Attorney

Sheboygan County District Attorney

Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office

Sheboygan Police Department

Sheboygan Falls Police Department

Sturgeon Bay Police Department

U.S. Marshals

Vilas County Sheriff’s Office

Wisconsin State Patrol