Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice

The Department of Justice today announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators.  The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown.  The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by 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.

“The 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.  “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.  “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.”

As part of Operation Restore Justice, the following five individuals were charged in the District of Connecticut with federal child exploitation crimes:

STEVEN TAYLOR, 52, of Hartford, has been charged by indictment with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.  As alleged in the indictment and other court documents, Taylor used his smartphone and other devices to record sexually explicit videos and images of a minor female. Searches of the devices revealed more than 2,300 sexually explicit images and videos of prepubescent minors. Taylor was arrested on related state charges on October 24, 2024.  On May 1, 2025, he appeared in Hartford federal court and pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.  He has been detained since his arrest.

RYAN PERRY, 39, of East Hartford, has been charged by criminal complaint with transportation, receipt, and distribution of child pornography.  As alleged in court documents, in January 2025, Perry, who was on state probation for prior child exploitation offenses, was arrested for probation violations stemming from a 2024 home visit.  A separate federal investigation identified Perry as a possible user of a darknet site where child pornography was uploaded and shared.  In April 2025, analysis of a hard drive seized from Perry revealed approximately 2,900 images and videos of child sex abuse material.  Perry was arrested federally on April 29, 2025, and is detained.

STEPHEN DICKSON, 47, of Colchester, has been charged by criminal complaint with coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.  As alleged in court documents, in September 2023, Dickson communicated on Kik Messenger with an FBI Online Covert Employee who was posing as the stepfather of a 14-year-old girl in Connecticut.  During the communications, Dickson expressed a desire and willingness to engage in sexual activity with the fictitious girl.  On September 22, 2023, Dickson was arrested and charged with state offenses after he traveled to a hotel in Wallingford to engage in sexual activity with the “girl.”  Subsequent analysis of computers, hard drives, and a smartphone seized from Dickson revealed several hundred images and videos of suspected child pornography, and dozens of images of female children, likely downloaded from social media sites such as Facebook, that were digitally-manipulated to remove clothing in order to create child pornography.  Dickson was arrested federally on May 1, 2025, and is released on a $150,000 bond.

JOSHUA BAILEY, 45, of Milford, and ELIZABETH JORDAN, 42, of West Haven, have been charged by criminal complaint with receipt and distribution of child pornography, transmission of a live visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor, and conspiracy to do so.  As alleged in court documents, on March 12, 2024, Jordan engaged in sexual activity with a minor who was 17 and livestreamed the activity to Bailey using Facebook messenger.  A subsequent search of Bailey’s phone revealed a series of screenshots of Jordan and the minor engaged in sexual activity.  Bailey and Jordan have been detained since August 2024 when they were arrested for related state offenses.  Bailey appeared in New Haven federal court on April 29 and Jordan appeared in New Haven federal court yesterday.

“The Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office has long been committed to protecting children by swiftly and vigorously prosecuting offenders,” said Marc H. Silverman, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.  “Sex offenders continue to find new and evolving means to commit their crimes, including using social media and messaging applications to gain access to children, and, as noted specifically in one case we are pursuing, using an AI program to digitally convert real images to create child pornography.  I thank our FBI colleagues, and all the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies focusing on this important effort, for staying ahead of the technology curve to investigate child exploitation crimes and apprehend these predators.”

“At FBI New Haven, protecting children is one of our most vital duties,” said Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  “Our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force works in collaboration with federal, state, and local partners to stop those who prey on our most vulnerable.  Here in Connecticut, the FBI actively disrupts violent online extremist groups, sex trafficking rings, sextortionists, and other destructive criminal activity.  We do this work in partnership with the community to ensure child victims are identified and receive the care they need.  Whether these threats come from the real world or a digital one, the FBI will fight day and night to protect all children.  We will never stop in our pursuit to find and arrest those responsible for these heinous acts.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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.  In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms.  In Norfolk, Virginia, an illegal alien from Mexico is 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.

In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice.  For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, New York.

This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face.  While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation.  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.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The Department 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.

The Department urges 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, by calling your local FBI field office, or by visiting www.cybertipline.com.

Other online resources:

Electronic Press Kit:
Violent Crimes Against Children
How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids