DOJ operation rescues 115 children, arrests 205 child sex offenders nationwide
SAN ANTONIO — The U.S. Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, an enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. According to an FBI press release, the operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders nationwide.
The joint effort took place over the course of five days and included all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.
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.
“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," said FBI Director Kash Patel.
The FBI said that within the Western District of Texas, five individuals were arrested and charged with federal crimes. Those individuals, along with the federal charges, are listed below:
- Kevin Dale Franklin Jr. in El Paso, charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography.
- Zaid Mashhour Haddad and Mario Garcia Martinez in San Antonio, charged with access with intent to view child pornography and possession of child pornography.
- James Christopher Hoyt in Austin, charged with distribution of material involved the sexual exploitation of children.
- Dakota Gunther Vaught in Pecos, charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
“Cases involving the sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, will always be a priority for this U.S. Attorney’s Office, as it is most certainly our duty to protect our most vulnerable citizens: children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “These operations are significant in that they bring a vast number of resources together to carry out a shared mission and highlight critical criminal cases, but know that we work with our local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement partners year-round and around the clock to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those who violate children, their rights and federal law.”
Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. For example, the FBI said that in Minneapolis, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms.
In Norfolk, Virginia, an undocumented individual from Mexico has been accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.
The FBI said that in many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a role in bringing the offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested approximately eight hours after a young victim came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, New York.
These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The DOJ partners with and oversees funding grants for 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.
DOJ officials urge the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
===========================================
Coos County man sentenced to 162 years in prison for child sex abuse
SALEM, Ore. – A Coos County man is facing more than 160 years in prison after being found guilty of numerous sex crimes committed against children over 20 years, Oregon Department of Justice officials said.
The ODOJ said agents investigated further after hearing Forrest’s admission, and uncovered complaints of abuse spanning about 20 years. Forrest was charged with numerous crimes including rape, sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration, sexual abuse and first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. Court records said all his crimes involved children under the age of 12.
The ODOJ said Forrest was found guilty on all counts by a jury after five victims testified in the trial against Forrest. He later pleaded guilty to charges of encouraging child sex abuse in a separate case. The ODOJ said Forrest was sentenced to 162 years in prison on May 2, 2025.
“When our special agents learned this man had previously been investigated for sexually abusing children, they knew there was more to uncover,” said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield in a written statement. “Because they pushed forward – and because survivors came forward – this predator has been removed from the community for good. Without this investigation, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have continued to harm children.”
The ODOJ said there may have been additional victims of Forrest that were not identified in any of their investigations. Anyone with additional information regarding Forrest is asked to contact the ODOJ ICAC task force at 503-934-2092.
Former AISD elementary teacher had 365K-plus files
of child sex abuse: officials
AUSTIN - A federal grand jury in Austin has returned an indictment charging a former Austin elementary school teacher with two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography.
Austin elementary teacher indicted
The backstory:
According to court documents, 50-year-old Carl David Innmon is accused of downloading multiple batches of downloads between Dec. 29, 2024, and Jan. 15, 2025.
There were 126 files that showed an image of a child engaging in sexual conduct or sexual performance.
The children in three of the downloaded files include an infant and two girls between the ages of four and seven.
Investigators issued a search warrant for Innmon's home. A forensic analysis of his smartphone, laptop and portable hard drive revealed 365,797 files of child sexual abuse material, according to the court documents.
Innmon is charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Innmon was a 5th grade teacher at Baranoff Elementary.
As of last check, Innmon was out of jail after posting bond. A stipulation of the bond is that he has no contact with minors, and he is to stay away from places minors are known to frequent. He is also not allowed to have access to the internet.
AI-generated child sexual abuse material
Dig deeper:
Federal court documents also say Innmon was in possession of AI-generated child pornography.
Investigators say Innmon's devices "contained a large quantity of real images depicting students in a classroom. Some of those images were allegedly placed in an AI generator, de-clothing the students."
Austin elementary school teacher used AI to create explicit images of students, principal says
An Austin ISD elementary school teacher used AI to create explicit material using photos of students in his classroom, says the school's principal.
With assistance from the Austin Independent School District and AISD Police, a Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Special Agent was able to positively identify the students depicted in the images and their ages.
The children were allegedly identified as students of Innmon's.
28 former residents file lawsuit against Lakeland alleging child sexual abuse
by: Kathryn Skopec - Posted: May 7, 2025 / 05:11 PM CDT; Updated: May 7, 2025 / 05:25 PM CDT
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Lakeland Behavioral Health System in Springfield is facing another personal injury lawsuit this week after 28 residents filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, May 7, alleging they suffered child sexual abuse while residents at the mental health treatment facility.
According to the six-count petition, the lawsuit is filed by 28 former inpatient residents who were admitted to Lakeland’s juvenile treatment facility located in Springfield. All plaintiffs were minors when they were admitted.
All 28 plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege they were sexually abused by employees of Lakeland in Springfield.
Defendants in the lawsuit include Acadia Healthcare Company LLC, a Tennessee-based company that owns Lakeland, as well as Lakeland Behavioral Health System and Lakeland’s CEO Nate Duncan, among other corporate Lakeland employees.
The 78-page petition details the alleged child sexual abuse that each of the 28 plaintiffs experienced, and also details ways in which Acadia and Lakeland’s logistics and operations allegedly failed to prevent the abuse.
The petition says some of the plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit were abused by former Lakeland employee Lessie Butler, who was charged with sexually assaulting three patients in 2023.
Other plaintiffs were abused by former Lakeland employee Mark McMannamy, who was sentenced for two separate counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in late 2024, according to the petition.
The petition alleges other plaintiffs were sexually abused by employees who are not named in the document.
The first four counts of the petition allege Acadia and Lakeland, as well as the other defendants listed, were negligent in supervision of the plaintiffs, as well as failing to report the abuse against the plaintiffs to the proper legal authorities or their parents.
In addition, those counts allege Lakeland failed to have functioning video monitors throughout the facility.
Count five of the petition alleges premises liability against the defendants, and count six alleges the defendants were negligent in supervision of Lakeland employees.
The lawsuit asks for damages in excess of $25,000 for each count, as well as any further relief the court deems just.
The 28 plaintiffs are being represented by Onder Law LLC in St. Louis.
This lawsuit comes after another personal injury lawsuit was filed against Lakeland yesterday in Greene County.
No comments:
Post a Comment