Norfolk FBI arrests 3 people in child sex abuse nationwide crackdown
WASHINGTON (WAVY) – A five-day nationwide FBI initiative coordinated with all 55 FBI field offices to track down child sex predators.
The FBI Norfolk Field Office arrested three people as part of 'Operation Restore Justice.'
Among them is a suspect from Williamsburg, who was arrested after he allegedly threatened to sexually abuse a police officer's young family member. The FBI says the suspect also sent obscene images of the sexual abuse of children.
Another Norfolk case involves an illegal immigrant from Mexico accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex.
'Child sexual exploitation cases are among the most disturbing the FBI works,' said FBI Norfolk Acting Special Agent in Charge, Patrick O'Brien. 'It's why the work that we do in this field is so impactful. Operation Restore Justice showcases the commitment we have to stopping and holding accountable anyone who engages in sexual exploitation of children, as well as the threat of exploitation.'
The Department of Justice announced the results of the coordinated effort on May 7. Last week alone, the FBI arrested 205 people and rescued 115 children across the country as part of Operation Restore Justice.
'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.'
Some of the suspects arrested in this operation included people in positions of public trust, such as law enforcement, members of the military and teachers.
In Minneapolis, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for producing sexual abuse material of a young child while wearing his uniforms.
In Washington, D.C., a former MPD Police Officer previously convicted for sex trafficking was again arrested for doing the same thing.
In Louisville, Kentucky, two teachers were charged in separate incidents involving alleged inappropriate communication and behavior with students.
The crimes investigated by the FBI include the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking.
Hundreds of special agents, intel analysts and other FBI personnel were involved in bringing the offenders to justice.
'While the Bureau works relentlessly to investigate these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of prevention, community education and the FBI's never-ending pursuit of criminals who exploit our children,' the FBI said in a news release.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The FBI partners with 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. In further partnership and collaboration with NCMEC, the FBI launched the Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) in 2004 to identify individuals involved in the sexual abuse of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. To date, ECAP has identified 36 individuals.
The FBI urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspect crime against a child to 911 and local law enforcement immediately, as well as the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), online at tips.fbi.gov or by contacting your local FBI field office.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other politicians from the U.S. and Latin America condemned the shooting of Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe on Sunday. Rubio blamed the assassination attempt on "violent leftist rhetoric" originating from the Colombian government. Uribe, a Colombian senator, is currently fighting for his life after sustaining three gunshot wounds, one of which was to the head. "The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe. This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government," Rubio wrote. "Having seen firsthand Colombia's progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can't afford to go back to dark days of political violence. President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials," he added. Who Is Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, Former Marxist Guerrilla And Country's First Leftist Leader? Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno also condemned the attack in a statement on social media. Read On The Fox News App "The assassination attempt on leading presidential candidate Miguel Uribe is a vile attack on democracy. This evil act must be investigated and anyone responsible, directly or indirectly, must face swift punishment," Moreno wrote. Chilean President Gabriel Boric also reacted to Uribe's shooting. "My strongest condemnation of the attack against Miguel Uribe Turbay, pre-presidential candidate in Colombia. In a democracy, violence has no place or justification," Boric wrote. Fbi's Kash Patel Vows 'You're Going To Know Everything We Know' About Trump Assassination Attempt Authorities say Uribe was shot by a boy less than 15 years old, and they are investigating who was behind the attack. Police recovered a 9mm "Glock-type" pistol from the suspect. "Miguel is fighting for his life at this moment. Let us ask God to guide the hands of the doctors who are attending to him," Maria Claudia Tarazona, Miguel's wife, wrote on her husband's X account. "I ask everyone to join together in a prayer chain for Miguel's life." Tarazona later announced that Uribe's initial surgery at the hospital "went well," though he remains in intensive care. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Uribe's chief opponent in the presidential race, said the attack crossed a "red line" and ordered an investigation. He also canceled a planned trip to France this week, citing the "seriousness of the events." Colombia's Ministry of Defense has offered a nearly $750,000 reward for information relating to the assassination attempt. Reuters contributed to this reportOriginal article source: Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe
Forbes
8 hours ago
- Forbes
Do Not Answer These Calls — Google Issues New Smartphone Warning
Beware the UNC6040 smartphone threat. Update, June 8, 2025: This story, originally published on June 6, has been updated with further warnings from the FBI regarding dangerous phone calls, as well as additional information from the Google Threat Intelligence Group report potentially linking the UNC6040 threat campaign to an infamous cybercrime collective known as The Com. Google's Threat Intelligence Group has issued a new warning about a dangerous cyberattack group known only as UNC6040, which is succeeding in stealing data, including your credentials, by getting victims to answer a call on their smartphone. There are no vulnerabilities to exploit, unless you include yourself: these attackers 'abuse end-user trust,' a Google spokesperson said, adding that the UNC6040 campaign 'began months ago and remains active.' Here's what you need to know and do. TL;DR: Don't answer that call, and if you do, don't act upon it. If you still need me to warn you about the growing threat from AI-powered cyberattacks, particularly those involving calls to your smartphone — regardless of whether it's an Android or iPhone — then you really haven't been paying attention. It's this lack of attention, on the broadest global cross-industry scale, that has left attackers emboldened and allowed the 'vishing' threat to evolve and become ever-increasingly more dangerous. If you won't listen to me, perhaps you'll take notice of the cybersecurity and hacking experts who form the Google Threat Intelligence Group. A June 4 posting by GTIG, which has a motto of providing visibility and context on the threats that matter most, has detailed how it's been tracking a threat group known only as UNC6040. This group is financially motivated and very dangerous indeed. 'UNC6040's operators impersonate IT support via phone,' the GTIG report stated, 'tricking employees into installing modified (not authorized by Salesforce) Salesforce connected apps, often Data Loader variants.' The payload? Access to sensitive data and onward lateral movement to other cloud services beyond the original intrusion for the UNC67040 hackers. Google's threat intelligence analysts have designated UNC6040 as opportunistic attackers, and the broad spectrum of that opportunity has been seen across hospitality, retail and education in the U.S. and Europe. One thought is that the original attackers are working in conjunction with a second group that acts to monetize the infiltrated networks and stolen data, as the extortion itself often doesn't start for some months following the initial intrusion itself. The Google Threat Intelligence Group report has linked the activity of the UNC640 attack group, specifically through shared infrastructure characteristics, with a cybercrime collective known as The Com. The highly respected investigative cybersecurity journalist, Brian Krebs, has described The Com as being a 'distributed cybercriminal social network that facilitates instant collaboration.' This social network exists within Telegram and Discord servers that are home to any number of financially motivated cybercrime actors. Although it is generally agreed that The Com is something of a boasting platform, where criminal hackers go to boost their exploit kudos while also devaluing the cybercrime activities of others, its own value as a resource for threat actors looking to find collaborative opportunities with like-minded individuals should not be underestimated. 'We've also observed overlapping tactics, techniques, and procedures,' Google's TIG researchers said with regard to The Com and UNC6040, 'including social engineering via IT support, the targeting of Okta credentials, and an initial focus on English-speaking users at multinational companies.' However, the GTIG report admits that it is also quite possible these overlaps are simply a matter of associated threat actors who all boast within the same online criminal communities, rather than being evidence of 'a direct operational relationship' between them. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has now also joined the chorus of security experts and agencies warning the public about the dangers of answering smartphone calls and messages from specific threat groups and campaigns. Public cybersecurity advisory I-051525-PSA has warned that the FBI has observed a threat campaign, ongoing since April 2025, that uses malicious text and voice messages impersonating senior U.S. officials, including those in federal and state government roles, to gain access to personal information and ultimately valuable online accounts. As with the latest Google Threat Intelligence Group warning, these attacks are based around the fishing tactic of using AI-generated voice messages along with carefully crafted text messages, known as smishing, as a method of engendering trust and, as the FBI described it, establishing rapport with the victim. 'Traditionally, malicious actors have leveraged smishing, vishing, and spear phishing to transition to a secondary messaging platform,' the FBI warned, 'where the actor may present malware or introduce hyperlinks that direct intended targets to an actor-controlled site that steals log-in information, like usernames and passwords.' The latest warnings regarding this scam call campaign have appeared on social media platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, from the likes of the FBI Cleveland and FBI Nashville, as well as on law enforcement websites, including the New York State Police. The message remains the same: the FBI won't call you demanding money or access to online accounts, and the New York State Police won't call you demanding sensitive information or threatening you with arrest over the phone. 'Malicious actors are more frequently exploiting AI-generated audio to impersonate well-known, public figures or personal relations to increase the believability of their schemes,' the FBI advisory warned. The FBI has recommended that all smartphone users, whether they iPhone or Android devices, must seek to verify the true identity of the caller or sender of a text message before responding in any way. 'Research the originating number, organization, and/or person purporting to contact you,' the FBI said, 'then independently identify a phone number for the person and call to verify their authenticity.' To mitigate the UNC6040 attack risk, GITG said that organisations should consider the following steps: And, of course, as Google has advised in previous scam warnings, don't answer those phone calls from unknown sources. If you do, and it's someone claiming to be an IT support person, follow the FBI advice to hang up and use the established methods within your organization to contact them for verification.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wife of Colorado firebombing suspect brought Jewish neighbors welcome gift weeks prior to attack
An observant Jewish couple described the horror of finding out that their neighbor, whose wife recently knocked on their door with a housewarming gift, was suspected of firebombing a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration in the heart of Boulder. The Costello family had barely begun unpacking boxes in their new Colorado Springs home when the FBI showed up at their doorstep and explained a neighbor, illegal Egyptian immigrant Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was arrested for allegedly injuring 12 people in front of the Boulder County courthouse. "I come home, and the FBI is waiting at my door. That's a scary moment," David Costello shared with Fox News Digital. "They told us, 'You're not in trouble,' but then they asked if we knew what happened in Boulder." The Costellos said they knew of the Solimans, having met Soliman's wife when she showed up on their front steps offering cupcakes to welcome them to the neighborhood. Rise In Antisemitic Extremism Fuels Wave Of Terror Plots In The United States Since 2020 "The wife came over and gave us some cupcakes," David said. "We keep kosher, so we couldn't eat them, but we accepted them and then we just sort of threw them away." Read On The Fox News App Unaware of the prior interaction, FBI agents told the Costellos it was important they were aware of the terror attack due to their visible Jewish identity, the couple said, with the family proudly displaying a mezuzah on the door. "He had to have driven right past our house to get to Boulder," David said. "He surely saw us moving in [wearing a] tzitzit and a kippah, and my wife's head being covered. It is really by the grace of Hashem, that we weren't attacked.… It's pretty obvious that we're Jewish, like he could have easily just thrown a Molotov cocktail at our door—we don't have an exit through the back—that would have been absolutely disastrous for us." Rise In Antisemitic Extremism Fuels Wave Of Terror Plots In The United States Since 2020 Because the Costellos do not use phones or electronic devices during religious holidays, they had no access to news due to their observance of Shavuot. Their only awareness of the incident came through people knocking on their door asking for interviews and eventually the FBI sharing what had happened. "I didn't realize how big the story was until I turned on my phone after the holiday," David's wife, Rivkah, said. "We moved here to lie low, but suddenly we were in the headlines." The couple had left their former neighborhood due to what they described as persistent anti-Israel activism and discomfort in a Muslim-majority area. David said they were seeking "a place to go and be under the radar." Boulder Terror Attack Latest In Antisemitic Incidents Rising Across Us In 2025 Soliman is currently being held on a $10 million bond and faces multiple charges, including attempted murder and federal hate crimes. According to authorities, he admitted to planning the attack for over a year and expressed a desire to harm "Zionist people." "It's unnerving," Rivkah said. "They said bail was set at $10 million, but that still means there's a possibility he could be released—and we live right across the street. We have five young children. This is terrifying." "I hope people understand what that means for a Jewish family living across the street from someone accused of terrorism," she said. WATCH: Boulder suspect attacks pro-Israel supporters David said the holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates Jewish unity, made the timing of the FBI visit especially meaningful. "We really felt like it was a miracle. While symbols like a mezuzah might make you a target, they also offer spiritual protection," he said. The couple and their family shared that their hope is that antisemitic sentiment does not continue to escalate. "We really don't want to move again," David said. "But if it becomes dangerous, we may not have a choice." Despite the fear, they say the experience has only strengthened their commitment to staying visible and vocal about their faith. "When you're pushed, you can either disappear or stand your ground," David said. "We're choosing to stand."Original article source: Wife of Colorado firebombing suspect brought Jewish neighbors welcome gift weeks prior to attack
