6-13-2018
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Department of Justice reports that more than 2,300 suspected online child sex offenders were arrested during a three-month nationwide operation, conducted by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
“No child should ever have to endure sexual abuse,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a press release. “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…..Any would-be criminal should be warned: this Department will remain relentless in hunting down those who victimize our children.”
The report showed that Washington State averages between 18,000 and 24,000 tips annually and leads in peer-to-peer sharing of child pornography, joining California, New York, Texas and Florida in the top five states.
“Sadly, Washington State consistently ranks among the top states for the sharing of images of child rape and molestation across peer-to-peer file sharing networks,” said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “I commend the investigators who do the difficult work of investigating those who create and share these horrific images. Their work puts predators behind bars where they cannot continue to hurt children.”
In Washington alone, forty-seven people accused of sharing images of child sexual abuse over peer-to-peer networks were arrested.