FBI arrests 205 alleged sex abusers in national crackdown

The Department of Justice on Wednesday said federal officers had rescued 115 children as part of an effort called Operation Restore Justice. All 55 FBI field offices across the country participated in the five-day coordinated effort to identify, track, and arrest sex predators who had targeted children. Some of the 205 individuals who were arrested are alleged to have produced, distributed, or possessed child sexual abuse materials, according to federal prosecutors. Others are charged with transporting minors and trafficking children for sex. Federal agents will continue to pursue abusers, said FBI Director Kash Patel. Authorities brought the legal cases as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative started in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. 

The suspects are presumed legally innocent until proven guilty. 

Who are some of the people accused? The Department of Justice gave three examples of the individuals arrested:

• A state trooper and an Army Reservist was arrested in Minneapolis for allegedly producing explicit material while wearing his uniforms, according to the DOJ.

• An illegal immigrant from Mexico was arrested in Norfolk, Virginia for allegedly transporting a minor across state lines for sex.

• A former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer in Washington, D.C. was arrested for allegedly trafficking minors.

Dig deeper: Read my report about a new law in Washington state that would require clergy to disclose information about child abuse they learned during confession.