Overcoming Adversity: A Survivor's Story of Hope at the Indy 500

A victim of human trafficking during the Indianapolis 500 shared his story of being trafficked out of nearby hotel rooms during the race. Today, Matthew Sprague is a dad of four living in Florida. His days are filled with racing to sports practices and suiting up for work.

“I manage the clients there, business consulting and things like that,” Sprague said.

He may run the show now, but in the early 1990s, he was just a kid from Columbus, one who never expected to live a life with the scar of sex trafficking.

“It started probably when I was around 7 years old, Sprague said. “Last I really remember it, I was about 10.”

One weekend a year was particularly petrifying. For some, it’s the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” For Sprague, it meant days inside hotel rooms being sold for sex to people he did not know.

“My experience was mainly to do with members of my family and just the connections they had to the 500 and that was such a big deal,” Sprague said. “A lot of people come from all over, not just Indiana, not just Indianapolis. From my experience, I knew that these four days, you know it usually started on Thursday to Monday, with a lot of people coming in and out.”

He’s not sure what was exchanged for his abuse, but he was rewarded with trips to gift shops afterward.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita warns against this issue: “Spectator events of this magnitude are prime targets for human traffickers looking to exploit vulnerable individuals,” Rokita said. “As we celebrate the thrill of the Indy 500, we must keep our eyes open for signs of human trafficking. By reporting suspicious actions to law enforcement, we can help stop these predators and rescue victims.”

Sprague says it’s events like this that traffickers target. With a sold-out race, over 350,000 people from across the globe will be in the Circle City and likely staying in hotels. That’s what poses a risk.

“The fact that this feels like an anonymous event, so with such a big event, it’s such a widespread thing there’s so many people coming into this thing,” Sprague said. “There’s a feeling that you’re anonymous, and there is a massive amount of people that come and go, and you do not know who they are, you do not have … you have no idea how to even recognize them on the street, and you won’t ever see them on the street.”

I-Team 8 asked Sprague for some of the phrases to listen for. “If someone said ‘Hey, I can take you back. I can help, I can help you find that person, you just come with me, we’ll go over here we’ll talk to them. We’ll do this.’”

He also says it’s important for hotel staff to be on guard.

“Where did that woman come and where are these people coming in and out of this particular room or this particular floor,” Sprague said.

Sprague is hopeful he can prevent any other child from experiencing the same abuse.