Arrested in a human-trafficking sting in Georgia, a senior Pentagon official who supervised federally operated school systems in the Americas.
The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) disclosed the apprehension of 26 individuals, including Stephen Hovanic, former chief of staff for the Americas division of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), allegedly involved in a human-trafficking ring.
Hovanic has been in the position since 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Authorities charged Hovanic, 64, with pandering, a Georgia misdemeanor, after he allegedly solicited sex in a motel room with an undercover agent.
An agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Fox 5, “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. 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 federal school system has now listed Hovanic’s former position as chief of staff for the Americas as “vacant” on its website.
The two-day operation, which took place between Nov. 15 and 16, resulted in the rescue of six human-trafficking victims, who have been relocated to safety, as stated by the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in Georgia, which assisted with the CCSO investigation.
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 entity said.
The DoDEA is described as “one of only two Federally-operated school systems” that is “responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD),” according to its website.
The DoDEA operates 160 schools located across 11 countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
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