OMAHA—In an unprecedented nationwide operation to protect our children and mark April’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the FBI announces Operation Restore Justice, a five-day, sweeping FBI initiative to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators across the country in coordination with all 55 of our FBI field offices.

As part of this operation, the FBI Omaha Field Office, with the assistance of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, arrested 3 people, served 4 federal search warrants, and identified 15 victims from approximately 1,000 images submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“The harm child sexual predators inflict is vast. Locking them up is one of the most important actions the FBI and our law enforcement partners can take to protect children,” said FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel. “We are proud of the work of our Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force in Operation Restore Justice and will remain relentless in our pursuit of these criminals to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Last week alone, the FBI arrested 205 subjects and rescued 115 children across the country during the surge of resources deployed for Operation Restore Justice. The subjects arrested in this operation included those in positions of public trust—law enforcement, members of the military, and teachers. Others are your neighbors, proving that criminal activity can be found even in the most familiar places. They’re accused of various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking.

But our work didn't just happen last week. Throughout the entire month of April, the FBI, along with our state and local law enforcement partners, additionally arrested more than 190 perpetrators on charges related to crimes against children. With nearly 400 arrests in one month, these actions are the direct result of the FBI’s continued efforts to track down and stop sexual predators before they can harm more victims.

While the number of arrests is significant, the details of the cases underscore the disturbing nature of the crimes. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for producing sexual abuse material of a young child while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, Virginia, an illegal immigrant from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former MPD Police Officer previously convicted of sex trafficking was again arrested for doing the same thing. He’s accused of trafficking additional young victims while on supervised release. In Louisville, Kentucky, two teachers were charged in separate incidents after alleged misconduct with students involving inappropriate communication and behavior.

In some cases, it was the vigilance of parents and community outreach efforts that played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. In one case, a California man was arrested eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents at an online safety presentation across the country in Albany, N.Y. In another case, a tip from the victim’s parents led to a man accused of coercing a minor into sending inappropriate images over social media.

This operation was the result of a dedicated and targeted effort, reflecting countless hours of work by hundreds of special agents, intel analysts, and other FBI personnel. It further emphasizes the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Bureau works relentlessly to investigate these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of prevention, community education, and the FBI’s never-ending pursuit of criminals who exploit our children.

The FBI proactively identifies individuals involved in child sexual exploitation and the production of child sexual abuse material through our far-reaching, nationwide network of personnel and law enforcement partners. The Violent Crimes Against Children (VCAC) program provides a rapid, proactive, and comprehensive capacity to counter all threats of abuse against children. This capacity leverages partnerships within the FBI’s 89 Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Forces (CEHTTFs) across the country. Additionally, the FBI has Intelligence Analysts assigned to address the VCAC threat, both at Headquarters and the field. The FBI also leads a Violent Crimes Against Children International Task Force, which includes nearly 100 International Task Force Officers representing over 60 countries to expand our ability to address the threat worldwide.

The FBI also partners with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org. In further partnership and collaboration with NCMEC, the FBI launched the Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) in 2004 to identify individuals involved in the sexual abuse of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. To date, ECAP has identified 36 individuals.

For more information about the crimes investigated by the FBI, as well as the variety of resources we provide to protect and keep children safe, please visit:

• Violent Crimes Against Children—FBI
• Parents, Caregivers, Teachers—FBI
• Welcome to sos.fbi.gov—FBI Safe Online Surfing (SOS)

As always, the FBI urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected crime against a child to 911 and local law enforcement immediately, as well as the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), online at tips.fbi.gov, or by contacting the FBI Omaha field office at 402-493-8688.