Operation Soteria Shield marks the FBI’s second large-scale bust of suspects accused of using the internet to sexually victimize children.
A monthlong investigation in Texas snared 244 alleged online child-sex predators, the FBI and other agencies announced at a June 10 news conference in Dallas.
“We’re taking them off the street and not stopping,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a social media post.
The FBI Dallas office’s special agent in charge, R. Joseph Rothrock, told reporters that a common goal united more than 70 federal, state, and local agencies: “to rescue children from abuse and exploitation.”
This marks the second month in a row that the FBI has announced large-scale arrests of alleged online predators. Such cases are considered high priority for President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, Patel said last month, as he announced that 205 suspects were arrested in a nationwide sweep called Operation Restore Justice.
The Texas-based investigation, dubbed Operation Soteria Shield, “rescued 109 children” and gathered “terabytes of illicit data,” the FBI said, adding that electronic devices are being further analyzed. The new evidence could lead to additional arrests or identifying victims.
Officials did not disclose details of the charges. However, at the news conference, they displayed names and photographs of the defendants. Silhouettes served as placeholders for 22 suspects for whom photographs were unavailable; some were juveniles and at least one remained unnamed pending arrest.
The effort demonstrates the agency’s commitment “to relentlessly pursue those who prey on children and to ensure that survivors are no longer silenced or hiding in the shadows,” FBI Dallas said.
It welcomed remarks from Texas police chiefs whose departments participated in the operation.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux said the operation, which began in April, marshaled “a massive team effort.” His department serves as the lead agency for the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Wylie Police Chief Anthony Henderson said: “The trauma inflicted by these crimes runs deep, affecting not only the victims, but also their families and entire communities.”
“With every arrest made and every child protected, the operation moves us closer to a safer community,” Henderson said.
By Janice Hisle
