Justice Department Announces Operation Restore Justice Results: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested, 115 Children Rescued in Five Days
The U.S. Department of Justice announced in Washington on May 7, 2025, the results of Operation Restore Justice: the five-day nationwide coordinated enforcement effort resulted in the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders and the rescue of 115 children. The operation was executed by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department's Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney's Offices around the country.
Those arrested are alleged to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM); online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking, the Department said. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a state trooper and Army reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, Virginia, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.
In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach played a critical role, the Department said. A California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents following an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, New York.
"The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims - especially child victims - and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate."
"Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we're sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children."
The effort followed the Department's observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. The cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 and led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and CEOS to combat the exploitation of children via the internet and to identify and rescue victims. The Department urged the public to report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI's tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI, tips.fbi.gov, or a local FBI field office; the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) operates a 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST. An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿哥伦比亚特区的联邦调查局总部 J. Edgar Hoover Building 外景（资料图）。Tony Webster 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Exterior of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. (file photo). Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
