59 people charged with child exploitation crackdown in North Texas

Sarah SmithFebruary 17, 2023

Law enforcement has filed charges against dozens of North Texas residents as part of a month-long investigation aimed at rescuing child victims of online sexual exploitation.

The investigation, called “Operation Janus,” was looking for people who illegally traded images and videos of children who were forced to have sex.

As a result, from January 16 to February 10, more than 80 criminal cases were initiated against 59 offenders.

READ MORE: New details released on 46 arrested for prostitution, including Lewisville ISD coach, youth pastor

Law enforcement officials say the operation saved 28 children from online sexual abuse and that investigators seized terabytes of data and electronic devices used in the crimes.

Additional charges may come in as devices are analyzed.

Operation Janus was the result of a number of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI’s Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force and the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

“The people indicted as a result of this operation were preying on some of our most vulnerable, our children,” Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement. “We will never stop working to identify, locate and apprehend these predators to make our community safer for our children.”