Operation Independence Day Arrest Results in Guilty Plea

Sperry Man Admits to Sexual Exploitation of a Child

A man arrested as part of a month long operation to capture predators and identify child victims pleaded guilty Friday in federal court for sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.

Thomas Dustin Daughtry, 42, of Sperry, illegally engaged with the minor from Feb. 18, 2019 through June 25, 2019. In his plea agreement, Daughtry stated that he knowingly enticed a 15-year-old into engaging in sexually explicit conduct and persuaded the minor to send sexual images to him.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is a fierce advocate for Oklahoma’s children,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Child predators like Mr. Daughtry use the internet as their hunting grounds to find vulnerable prey. Prosecutors and our law enforcement partners will remain vigilant in our own righteous hunt for these abusers and bring them forward to account for their crimes.”  

This prosecution resulted from Operation Independence Day, an investigation which was conducted in the month of July and resulted in nine individuals being charged federally in the Northern District of Oklahoma.

The nationwide operation relied on the 86 FBI-led Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces, which leverage the resources and intelligence of other federal, state, local and tribal partners. In total, law enforcement recovered or identified 103 child victims and arrested of 67 sex traffickers.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Cozzoni is prosecuting the case.

Topic(s): 

Project Safe Childhood

Component(s): 

USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

Contact: 

Public Affairs 918-382-2755

Florida police arrest 23 suspected child predators and traffickers through online sting

By Morgan Phillips

Florida deputies arrested 23 suspected child predators and human traffickers during a recent four-day sting operation, all of which used online applications to seek out children, police said, according to Fox 13.

“Operation Intercept VII” targeted people who allegedly traveled to the county to meet minors for sex. The suspects arrested were between the ages of 21 and 77.

Those arrested allegedly responded to online ads, apps and social media websites, believing they were talking to children, but those "children" were actually undercover detectives. Police say one man sent over 90 sexually explicit photos to the detective.

The detectives provided an address for meet-ups, where authorities would be waiting. Deputies said several men brought condoms, one brought candy and one brought a sex toy.

“I wish I could say these operations were no longer needed but time and time again, even after we make dozens of arrests, these men keep coming back for more,” Sarasota County Sheriff Knight said in a press conference, according to Fox 13. “In this digital world we live in, innocent children are far too accessible to predators. That is why, as parents, we have to get serious about prevention. Parents are the first line of defense and we will never stop reminding our community of that.”

The sheriff’s office previously released a list of 15 apps about which parents should be leery. The apps, officials said, are often used by predators looking for children.

On Friday, investigators added yet more apps to that list.

The list included common dating apps such as Bumble, Grindr, Plenty of Fish and Zoosk. It also included messaging apps such as Snapchat, Whatsapp and Kik, and TikTok, an app beloved by Gen Z which allows users to create and share short videos.

Following the arrest of another 23 men for traveling to meet a child for sex, we are re-releasing our list of #AppsParentsShouldKnowAbout. During our latest initiative, #OperationInterceptVII, 23 men utilized apps including Plenty of Fish, HILY, MocoSpace and Zoosk to connect with boys and girls who they believed were 14-YEARS-OLD. Also new to our list is an app called "Monkey" - it is rated for kids "12 and up" but also has "mild sexual content and nudity."

PARENTS: WE WILL KEEP UPDATING THIS LIST SO LONG AS THESE MOBILE APPS ARE UTILIZED BY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PREY ON YOUR CHILDREN. LOOK THROUGH YOUR CHILD'S PHONE. PREVENTION STARTS IN THE HOME.

National Center For Missing And Exploited Children Speaks About Online Safety

by Rachel Ellis


A man whose brother was abducted and killed before he was born is speaking out after the Simpsonville eleven year old drove two hundred miles to Charleston early Monday morning. The boy told police he planned to live with a man he met on Snapchat.

The eleven year old took his brother’s car and got lost on Rutledge Street when his GPS went out. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said this is just one of many cases where there are many unanswered questions.

“You know you read the headlines and you think that’s where it’s going to be the worst and then you start getting the details and your head spins,” said Callahan Walsh, son of John Walsh, who founded the center.

He said it’s crucial for parents to know what their kids are doing online.

“There’s three things I always tell parents. One is know the technology. Get on those apps yourself and try to figure out how they work and you know see what apps your children are using. Number two is set ground rules and stick to them. Especially if there’s been bad behavior in the past. And number three is have ongoing conversations with your kids about safety,” said Walsh.

Walsh also added that online encounters have gone up and said it sometimes can be hard to keep track of the many apps that are right at our fingertips.

“It can be very difficult to provide parents with specific tips on specific apps because it’s sort of like whack a mole there. When one pops up it becomes popular and then three more like it pop up. so there’s always a constant landscape that’s changing. there’s always new apps with new features coming out,” said Walsh.

Ohio child sex trafficking sting nabs more than 100, including church leader, ER doctor

By Danielle Wallace - Fox News

Ohio police make over 100 arrests in massive human trafficking and child sex sting.

More than 100 are arrested in Ohio on charges linked to human trafficking and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The arrests were made during a four-part simultaneous operation involving more than 30 law enforcement agencies. Over 40 women were also arrested for prostitution, with some being placed in a human trafficking rehabilitation program.

More than 100 people, including a medical doctor and a church youth director, were arrested as part of a massive human trafficking and child sex sting operation based in central Ohio, according to a report.

Those arrested included 24 men caught when they showed up at an undisclosed location with the intention of meeting a child for sex, Maj. Steven Tucker of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said.

"They show up with sex toys, they show up with lubrication. They show up with things that clearly somebody isn't going to show up to a house with, unless they intended to engage in sexual activity."

— Maj. Steven Tucker, Franklin County Sheriff's Office

The 24 suspects were charged with attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and importuning, Columbus’ WBNS-TV reported.

The total group of 104 suspects included Christian Gibson, 26, a former youth director at Redeemer's at Courtright Church in Columbus, and Austin Kosier, 31, an emergency room doctor, authorities said, adding that the sting was focused on Franklin, Fairfield and Delaware counties.

Christian Gibson, 26, left, a former church youth director, and Austin Kosier, 31, a medical doctor were both charged with attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and importuning, authorities say.

Parents of Etan Patz Move Out of NYC 40 Years After Boy's Disappearance

The parents Etan Patz, the 6-year-old boy who disappeared from a New York City street while walking to the school bus, have moved out of the city — 40 years after losing their son.

Julie and Stan Patz sold their Prince Street loft and moved to Hawaii, where their other son Ari lives, the New York Post reported. The apartment sold for nearly $4 million in July, according to Street Easy.

Ari Patz was just 2 when Etan went missing. The couple also have a daughter, Shira, who was 8 at the time.

Julie had watched Etan from the window of the Prince Street home as he walked to his school bus stop on May 25, 1979. It was the first time he was making the trek by himself. 

But Etan never made it home that day. His parents later learned that he never even made it to school. Droves of police officers and bloodhounds descended on the streets of Manhattan, but the boy was never found, and the case eventually went cold. He was declared legally dead in 2001.

Then, in 2012, a man confessed to police that he killed Etan. Pedro Hernandez, who was an 18-year-old stock boy at a bodega near Etan’s bus stop, was arrested and charged with murder. After his 2016 trial, he was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering the little boy.

His remains have never been found.

President Ronal Reagan declared May 25 National Missing Children's Day in the U.S. on the fourth anniversary of Etan's disappearance. The designation spread worldwide in 2001, and May 25 became International Missing Children's Day.

Trinity Mount Ministries - CyberTipline - NCMEC - Report Abuse! 1-800-843-5678

NCMEC’s CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. The public and electronic service providers can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, extra-familial child sexual molestation, child pornography, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet.

What Happens to Information in a CyberTip?

NCMEC staff review each tip and work to find a potential location for the incident reported so that it may be made available to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for possible investigation. We also use the information from our CyberTipline reports to help shape our prevention and safety messages.

Is Your Image Out There?

Get Support

One of the worst things about sextortion is feeling like you’re facing everything alone. But you have people who care for you and want to help. Reach out to them!

A trusted adult can offer advice, help you report, and help you deal with other issues. It could be your mom, dad, an aunt, a school counselor, or anyone you trust and are comfortable talking to. You can also “self report” by making a report on your own to the CyberTipline.

Don’t Give Up

Having a sexual exploitative image of yourself exposed online is a scary experience. It can make you feel vulnerable and isolated, but remember, others have been in the same situation as you – and they’ve overcome it. Learn the steps you can take to limit the spread of the content.

YouTube’s Fine & Child Safety Online

YouTube for targeting adverts at children as if they were adults shows progress is being made on both sides of the Atlantic, writes Steve Wood of the Information Commissioner’s Office

The conclusion of the Federal Trade Commission investigation into YouTube’s gathering of young people’s personal information (‘Woeful’ YouTube fine for child data breach, 5 September) shows progress is being made on both sides of the Atlantic towards a more children-friendly internet. The company was accused of treating younger users’ data in the same way it treats adult users’ data.

YouTube’s journey sounds similar to many other online services: it began targeting adults, found more and more children were using its service, and so continued to take commercial advantage of that. But the allegation is it didn’t treat those young people differently, gathering their data and using it to target content and adverts at them as though they were adult users.

In response to the FTC investigation, the company is now making changes, and we expect that other major platforms are planning to learn from this complaint. That impetus for change is mirrored in the UK, where the Information Commissioner’s Office code to ensure online services are better designed with children in mind will be with the secretary of state in November. This will ensure a privacy-by-default approach is taken by online services likely to be accessed by children, including standards that will require features such as location tracking to be switched off by default. It is welcome progress. The internet has evolved in a way that makes too little distinction between adults and children. Few parents would disagree that change is necessary.

Steve Wood
Deputy commissioner, ICO