A horrific network of child predators has been destroyed by police across Southern California – with 341 alleged pedophiles arrested and at least 40 children rescued in a massive two-week sting.
The sweeping operation, dubbed ‘Operation Firewall’, targeted offenders in five provinces between April 19 and May 3, authorities revealed.
The suspects are accused of, among other things, the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, lewd acts with minors, human trafficking and attempts to entice children to perform sexual acts.
In one case, a 42-year-old Inland Empire man allegedly posed as a teenage football player on Instagram to coerce two girls into a sexual relationship.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the suspect faces federal sex abuse charges — and issued a confrontational warning to parents about online chat rooms that target children.
“I said it once, I’ll say it again: Keep your kids off the Internet,” he said.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman described another disturbing case involving a 33-year-old man accused of selling videos of himself performing sex acts on adults while watching children being sexually abused.
“Some of the children were as young as a year old,” Hochman said, adding that the suspect will spend decades behind bars.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the scale of the crimes reflects a growing wave of online exploitation.
“The scale of these crimes and the exponential increase in reports of online exploitation is appalling,” he said.
“I may be standing here as chief of police, but I am also a father and grandfather. If you are holding your child or grandchild, there is nothing you wouldn’t do to keep them safe.”
McDonnell immediately warned the offenders: “You may think you can hide in the shadows – understand we are watching. We will not stop.”
Authorities said additional arrests involved registered sex offenders who failed to comply with the law, in addition to parole and probation violations.
Hochman said the task force would continue to act as a “firewall” to protect vulnerable children.
“We’ll track you down,” he warned.
