205 Suspected Child Predators Arrested in FBI Sweep
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday the arrest of 205 alleged child sex predators in a sweeping, five-day crackdown known as Operation Restore Justice. The joint effort between the Department of Justice and the FBI led to the rescue of 115 children nationwide. Officials described the operation as “historic” and “unprecedented,” spanning 55 FBI field offices across the country.
“This is a message to every predator targeting our children online: We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will charge you,” Bondi said during a press briefing. She warned parents that predators often pose as children online to manipulate and exploit children, adding, “If convicted, these depraved individuals will face the maximum penalty, with some facing life in prison.”
Among those arrested were a state trooper and an Army Reservist in Minneapolis accused of producing child sexual abuse material while in uniform, an illegal alien in Norfolk, Virginia, charged with transporting a child across state lines for sex, and a former police officer in Washington, D.C., arrested for allegedly trafficking children.
FBI Director Patel echoed the zero-tolerance stance, stating, “If you harm our children, there will be no sanctuary. We will hunt you down, and we will put you in a cage.”
Bondi urged parents to take their children’s online activity seriously, saying children do not have a right to online privacy when it comes to their safety. She highlighted the disturbing trend of predators pretending to be children, gaining trust, and coercing children into sending explicit photos, sometimes followed by blackmail.
She also noted the devastating impact these predators have on young lives, pointing to a rising suicide rate among teens aged 14 to 17 as a consequence of such exploitation. “It’s vital for parents to talk to their children,” Bondi said. “Most of the time, they think they’re talking to other children, but they’re not. They’re talking to predators.”
