By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A 35-year-old Philadelphia man has been indicted on child sex trafficking charges that resulted from an ongoing law enforcement effort to crack down on this depraved crime.

Federal prosecutor Michelle Morgan says defendant Rashaad McIntyre was running a prostitution operation that employeed girls under the age of 18.

“He would take photographs of the victims, and then he was posting those victims’ photos on an Internet web site called backpage.com, which is a very popular place for pimps to advertise prostitution services.  They call it ‘escort services,’ but everyone knows what it means,” Morgan tells KYW Newsradio.

If convicted, McIntyre — who is currently in custody — faces lenghty mandatory minimum sentences up to a maximum of life in prison.

Morgan says this is the third indictment against individuals for similar crimes in the past 3½ months.