FACT CHECK: Was A Child Trafficking Camp Owned By Clinton Foundation Donors Discovered In Arizona?
A post shared on Instagram claims a “child trafficking camp” discovered in Arizona is owned by alleged Clinton Foundation donor and building materials company CEMEX.
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Verdict: False
The Tucson Police Department investigated the camp and determined there were “no signs of human or sex trafficking,” local news outlet KVOA reported. In addition, there is no evidence suggesting CEMEX has donated money to the Clinton Foundation.
Fact Check:
CEMEX, a heavy building materials company, will use hydrogen injection technology at four of its cement plants in Mexico to reduce carbon emissions, according to Hydrogen Central. The company’s CEO, Fernando Gonzalez, said the goal of keeping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius isn’t “tough enough,” Bloomberg reported.
The Instagram post, liked over 100 times, purports a “child trafficking camp” discovered in Arizona is owned by purported Clinton Foundation donor CEMEX.
The claim is false. A keyword search reveals the claim appears to stem from a 2018 NBC News article about a group called Veterans on Patrol who discovered what they thought was a child sex trafficking camp. Michael Arthur Lewis Meyer, the group’s leader, alleged they were looking for homeless veterans when they discovered the camp “in a wooded area of private property on an old cement plant,” the outlet reported.
A June 2018 investigation conducted by the Tucson Police Department indicated there were “no signs of human or sex trafficking” at the camp and that the site had likely been abandoned, local news outlet KVOA reported. There was no mention of the camp being linked to CEMEX in any way.
Additionally, there is no evidence suggesting CEMEX donated any money to the Clinton Foundation, according to OpenSecrets.org. (RELATED: Did The U.S. Navy JAG Corps Create A Child Sex Crimes Division?)
“This is a baseless speculation from 2018,” CEMEX spokesperson Jorge Perez told Check Your Fact in an email.
Check Your Fact has also contacted a Tucson Police Department spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
