The Department of Justice has announced the arrest of more than 2,300 suspected online child sex offenders during a three-month, nationwide, operation conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in St. Louis, the task forces identified 195 offenders who either produced child pornography or committed child sexual abuse, and 383 children who suffered recent, ongoing, or historical sexual abuse or production of child pornography.

The 61 ICAC task forces, located in all 50 states and comprised of more than 4,500 federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, led the coordinated operation known as “Broken Heart” during the months of March, April, and May 2018.

During the course of the operation, the task forces investigated more than 25,200 complaints of technology-facilitated crimes against children and delivered more than 3,700 presentations on Internet safety to over 390,000 youth and adults.

On April 4, 2018, in federal court in the Eastern District of Missouri, Daniel Garrison was charged by complaint with Attempt Enticement of a Child. On April 12, Garrison was indicted federally on one count of Enticement of a Child, one count of Attempt Enticement of a Child and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.

Garrison was arrested after he used the internet to arrange to meet an undercover officer posing as a minor for sexual purposes.  Investigation determined that, in 2017, Garrison had met a minor through Craigslist and engaged in sexual contact.  A forensic examination of Garrison’s laptop computer found child pornography videos.

"No child should ever have to endure sexual abuse," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "And yet, in recent years, certain forms of modern technology have facilitated the spread of child pornography and created greater incentives for its production. We at the Department of Justice are determined to strike back against these repugnant crimes. It is shocking and very sad that in this one operation, we have arrested more than 2,300 alleged child predators and investigated some 25,200 sexual abuse complaints. Any would-be criminal should be warned: this Department will remain relentless in hunting down those who victimize our children."

According to the press release, the operation targeted suspects who: (1) produce, distribute, receive and possess child pornography; (2) engage in online enticement of children for sexual purposes; (3) engage in the sex trafficking of children; and (4) travel across state lines or to foreign countries and sexually abuse children.

Since 1998, the ICAC Task Forces have reviewed more than 775,000 complaints of child exploitation, which have resulted in the arrest of more than 83,000 individuals.

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