More than two dozen children have been rescued and nearly 60 people are facing criminal charges related to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, police say.
The North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and FBI Dallas Division’s Child Exploitation Task Force said Friday that from Jan. 16 through Feb. 10 highly skilled computer crimes investigators from agencies around North Texas took part in Operation Janus, an effort to identify and rescue children forced into sexual acts and arrest the abusers who were trafficking images and videos of those acts online.
The operation wrapped up Friday with the rescue of 28 children and the arrest of 59 people who are now facing at least 80 criminal charges. The investigation involved nearly three dozen law enforcement agencies from across North Texas and from as far away as Alaska.
“Operation Janus allowed us to collectively support each other by sharing resources and intelligence to catch predators in the act. It also allowed us to recover children and protect them from further harm,” said FBI Dallas Acting Special Agent in Charge James J. Dwyer.
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Investigators said the alleged list of crimes ranges from meeting victims to possessing harmful material on electronics. NBC 5 has also learned the arrested individuals include paramedics, firefighters, a teacher and a nurse and that some of the victims targeted young children, including infants.
“The people charged as a result of this operation preyed on some of our most vulnerable, our children. I applaud the dedication of these task force groups, including members of the Dallas Police Department, to bring these suspects to justice. We will never stop working to identify, locate and apprehend these predators to make our community safer for our children," said Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia.
Investigators also seized terabytes of data and electronic devices that were being used during the commission of these crimes. The devices are being examined forensically and may lead to the investigation of other offenders and additional charges.
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"Our primary goal is to protect children. So we'll go at it from that aspect first. And then the ripple effect of that is we'll catch people that are making these types of offenses. So both forensically, reactively and proactively, we go after these individuals who are exploiting our children," said Detective Jeff Rich, with the Plano Police Department.
Rich said many of the arrests were the result of leads generated through reporting to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"Electronic service providers, the services you might use on cell phones or your computers, detect contraband material on their servers and they report that to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who then forward that information to the affected law enforcement agencies," explained Rich.
Advocates who help women and children survivors of sex trafficking said the arrests shed light on a bigger problem.
”For a month-long operation, it's very representative of the vast number of people that are addicted to pornography, and what I believe is an epidemic in our country," said Jennifer Hohman, an advocate who helps women and children who have been exploited in sex trafficking.
She explained that the progression of people looking at illicit mages and videos can lead to action and put even more children in harm's way and also lead to sex trafficking.
Hohman said it's important for people to be educated on the topic to protect themselves and their children.
“I would caution parents to take a good look at yourself, take a good look at the people that you have your children around, understand the environment in which you're letting children have digital equipment in your home," said Hohman.
In regards to sex trafficking and child pornography, Hohman said there's no bias and that people from all walks of life, jobs and backgrounds can commit these crimes.
"In some of these stings you see blue-collar workers, executives, all types, but in this specific one, there's a number of first responders, and we expect first responders either help us in an unsafe situation, or we feel safe with them," said Hohman. “Some of these were teachers who have direct access to our children. These are individuals that we've told our children are safe. Teachers, firemen, nurses, and so that's extremely concerning in this particular operation. What do we tell our kids? Nobody's safe? Right? So that's why we have to educate. It just makes you wonder, where the hell the world is going?"
Below are those formally charged so far in the operation. Some individuals are in custody but charges are pending.
Additional names and charges are to be released.
The accused listed below are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It's not immediately clear which of the suspects listed below have obtained attorneys.
- Mickail Dukes, Manifestation of Prostitution Dallas PD
- Brandon Froning, Possession of Child Pornography Dallas PD
- Justin Peters, Possession of Child Pornography Garland PD
- Noah Craver, Possession of Child Pornography Plano PD
- Vincent Hammack, Possession of Child Pornography Plano PD
- Joshua Drake, Possession of Child Pornography Wylie PD
- Michael A. Newhouse, Jr. Possession of Child Pornography Possession of Lewd Visual Material Texas DPS
- Michael W. Newhouse, Sr. Possession of Child Pornography Texas DPS
- Michael Sinnreich, Possession of Child Pornography Wylie PD
- Ernest Martinez, Possession of Child Pornography Abilene PD
- Isaac Hernandez, Possession of Child Pornography Irving PD
- Marcus Lugo, Possession of Child Pornography Abilene PD
- Juan Juarez, Promotion of Child Pornography Wylie PD
- Jesse McFall, Possession of Child Pornography Dallas PD/Denton PD
- Eduardo Ramirez, Receiving/Possession of Child Pornography Plano PD
- Jesse Giesbrecht, Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography Seminole County Sheriff’s Office/FBI
- Ubaydah Fadel, Possession of Child Pornography Plano PD
- Ivan Hernandez, Sexual Assault of a Child Dallas PD
- Ralph Brooks Brown, Possession of Child Pornography Plano PD
- Anthony Johnson, Possession with Intent to Promote with Prior Conviction Dallas PD
- Nathan Abramovich, Possession of Child Pornography Wylie PD
- JUVENILE, Possession of Child Pornography Wylie PD
- Corey Smith Shaw, Possession of Child Pornography Plano PD
- Nathanel Black, Possession of Child Pornography Irving PD
- Steve Martin, Possession of Child Pornography Plano PD
- Tracey Couey, Possession of Child Pornography Dallas PD
- Ramiro Mendoza, Lara Possession of Child Pornography Irving PD
- Charles Stanfiel, Possession of Child Pornography Abilene PD
- Edward Rodriquez, Online Solicitation of a Minor Abilene PD
- JUVENILE, Possession of Child Pornography with Intent to Promote Wylie PD
- Shemar Green, Possession of Child Pornography and Transportation of Child Pornography FBI-Lubbock/Snyder PD
- Cassidy Lush, Distribution of Child Pornography FBI – Lubbock
- David Espinoza, Possession of Child Pornography FBI – Lubbock
- Jonathan Paige, Kidnapping/Sex Assault of a Child Plano PD
- Christopher Berger, Promotion of Child Pornography Dallas PD
- Justin Wyly, Possession of Child Pornography Hopkins County SO
- James Wilborn, Indecency with a Child Dallas PD
- Thomas Dobbs, Possession of Child Pornography Abilene PD
- Craig Schamberger, Online Solicitation Fort Worth PD
- Jason Till, Production of Child Pornography Homeland Security Investigations
- Pipino Alfredo Castelan Diaz, Solicitation of Prostitution o fa Minor
- Irving Woods, Online Solicitation Fort Worth PD/Alaska State Troopers/US Secret Service
- Demon Driver, Possession of Child Pornography Dallas PD
- Joseph Sterle, Possession of Child Pornography DPS-Texarkana
- Stephen Benzenhafer, Online Solicitation of a Minor Plano PD
- Silvestre Diaz, Indecent Assault Wylie PD
- Juan Blaylock, Possession of Child Pornography Dallas PD
- Maximillian Arya, Possession of Child Pornography Dallas PD
- Juvenile, Bestiality Garland PD
- Juvenile, Publish Intimate Visual Material Wylie PD
- Gary Mathis, Promotion of Child Pornography Dallas PD
- Anthony Garza, Misdemeanor Charge Lubbock PD
- Haseeb Memon, Possession with Intent to Promote Child Pornography Wylie PD
- Sierra Hendry, Bestiality Dallas PD
- Rit Tran, Distribution of Child Pornography, FBI – Dallas
- Javier Montano, Sex Abuse of a Child, Fort Worth PD
