Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

More than 200 face justice after crackdown targeting child predators

A six-month effort by law enforcement targeting child predators in Southern Nevada has led to the arrest, charging or conviction of 219 people, U.S. Attorney for Nevada Daniel Bogden announced this morning.

Bogden revealed the results of Operation Protect the Powerless at a news conference at the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse.

More than 500,000 images and 2,700 videos of child rape and pornography were recovered, and 100 search warrants were executed during the operation, Bogden said.

Some defendants faced charges in both state and federal court.

Henry Macias, 33, of Las Vegas was one of the people charged in the operation, Bogden said.

Macias pleaded guilty in July in Clark County District Court to attempted lewdness with a child and was sentenced to six to 15 years in prison, Bogden said.

Macias was then sentenced in December in federal court to 12 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography, Bogden said.

The effort, spearheaded by the Project Safe Childhood Task Force, occurred between June 1 and Dec. 31. The task force is made up of federal, state and local investigators.

Bogden was joined at today’s news conference by officials including Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

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