Thursday, June 27, 2019 | 7:25 p.m.
Eight out of about 1,700 suspects nabbed as part of a nationwide operation targeting suspected online child sex offenders were arrested in Nevada, the office of the U.S. attorney for the district of Nevada announced Thursday.
The identities of the Nevada suspects have yet to be publicly disclosed, and information on the extent of their alleged crimes was not released.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice said that the operation, dubbed Broken Heart, had taken place in a two-month period beginning in April.
Task forces, which comprised personnel from about 4,500 local, state and federal agencies, identified 308 people who had either produced child porn or had sexually assaulted children, officials said. About 357 child victims also were found.
"The sexual abuse of children is repugnant, and it victimizes the most innocent and vulnerable of all," said U.S. Attorney General William Barr in a news release. "We must bring the full force of the law against sexual predators, and with the help of our Internet Crimes Against Children program, we will.”
During the operation, task forces fielded over 18,500 tips of online crimes against children. Officials also made safety presentations to about 200,000 civilians of all ages, officials said.
