Two in Wisconsin charged in FBI operation against child sexual abuse, over 100 children rescued & 200 suspects arrested nationwide
(WFRV) – Two people in Wisconsin were arrested as part of the Department of Justice's Operation Restore Justice, a multi-agency effort nationwide to identify and arrest child sex predators.
205 child sexual abuse offenders were arrested and 115 children were rescued nationwide during the five-day, coordinated effort.
Ongoing investigation into distribution of cocaine in Wisconsin leads to 3 search warrants, 1 arrest
Operation Restore Justice was executed by 55 Federal Bureau of Investigation field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department of Justice Criminal Division and numerous United States Attorney's Offices nationwide.
An official release through the Eastern District of Wisconsin's United States Attorney's Office said that two people were arrested and charged in the state during the operation.
Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Richard G. Frohling released the following statement regarding Operation Restore Justice.
'The United States Attorney's Office remains committed to working with the FBI and all federal, state, local and tribal partners to zealously prosecute individuals who produce or distribute child sexual abuse material, engage in online enticement and further child sex trafficking. I commend the efforts of all involved in seeking to hold these offenders accountable and to pursue justice for victims of these devastating offenses.'
Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
The following two men were arrested in Wisconsin on separate dates:
April 25, 2025:
44-year-old Troy Schaden was charged with receiving, distributing and possessing child pornography, with a federal court date on May 2. A search warrant at his home was performed on March 5, 2025, and officials seized multiple devices.
The release said that an investigation into the devices revealed that they contained child sexual abuse material that Schaden purchased from somebody in the United Kingdom through the app 'Telegram.'
April 28, 2025:
Victor Vega Rojo, a 49-year-old man, was charged with distributing and possessing child pornography, and he appeared in court on May 2. Records indicated that Vega Rojo has no legal status in the United States and is in custody with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Court records show that a search warrant at his home resulted in the seizure of multiple devices deemed by a forensic review to contain child sexual abuse material. Vega Rojo allegedly distributed the material via the BitTorrent network and possessed hundreds of images.
The official release provided statements from United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Statement from Attorney General Bondi:
'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. 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.'
United States Attorney General Pamela Bondi
Statement from FBI Director Patel:
'Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us. Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we're sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.'
FBI Director Kash Patel
In addition, FBI Milwaukee's Special Agent in Charge, Michael Hensle, said they're committed to protecting children.
'Through 'Operation Restore Justice' and day-to-day operations alongside our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, we're dedicated to keeping kids safe in our Wisconsin communities,' Special Agent Hensle said via the release.
Wisconsin woman arrested for alleged threats towards Waupun prison employees
According to the release, the other arrests included the following:
A state trooper in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who allegedly produced child sexual abuse material while in uniform
A Mexican national in Norfolk, Virginia who is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex
A former police officer in Washington D.C., who allegedly trafficked minors
One of the cases included a California man who was arrested after one of the victims came forward and told FBI agents after an online presentation.
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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Florida No. 2 in gun sales but numbers are dropping here and in the US. Possible reasons
Floridians, and Americans in general, are buying fewer guns. People in the Sunshine State bought just over an estimated 1.2 million guns in 2024, according to the annual report from safety product review site based on data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). That's a 7% drop from 2023. Florida still ranks No. 2 in the country in total gun sales, though, behind Texas (1.36 million). Sales were down nationally as well, where the estimated 16.1 million firearms sold in 2024 were a 3.4% decline from the previous year. The National Shooting Sports Foundation's annual report calculated a lower number, 15.2 million sold in 2024, but also said sales were declining. Sales have declined every year since 2020 after peaking during the COVID pandemic, SafeHome said. Gun sales in Washington plunged nearly 46%. "Some expected the 2024 presidential election to drive a spike in gun sales, but early data from 2025 tells a different story," said SafeHome managing editor Rob Gabriele. "In the first four months of the year, just over 5.29 million guns were sold, averaging around 1.32 million per month. "If that pace holds, 2025 will end with roughly 15.5 million gun sales, a 3.8 percent drop from 2024 totals," he said. "This mirrors the previous year's rate of decreasing sales." However, 15 states saw increases in gun sales, with Massachusetts residents buying 22.5% more of the weapons. SafeHome releases its report every year in time for National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which was June 6. Many Americans wear orange between June 6-8 in honor of Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. SafeHome estimates that 389,994 guns have been sold in Florida from January through April 2025, behind Texas with 443,224. But by this time last year, Florida gun sales hit nearly half a million. Florida saw gun sales go up 1% in 2023, the same year the state passed a law to allow permitless concealed carry. The Sunshine State was one of only four states to see an increase, with 1,316,471 estimated sales in 2023, according to the report. FBI report: Active shooter incidents decrease in 2024, list includes Florida I-10 shooter Whlie the answer remains unclear, the record sales during the pandemic may have lowered the demand for now. 'What we saw in 2020 and 2021 were not sustainable from a market standpoint,' Jonathan Metzl, director of Vanderbilt University's Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, told The Trace, a website tracking gun violence. 'But also, many more people have guns now, and so the market of potential consumers is a lot smaller than it was during the pandemic.' Another factor is a Republican president in the White House. Gun sales tend to rise when presidents from the Democratic Party are elected, due to expectations of more restrictive gun laws, weapons confiscation, or fears of violent right-wing suppression. In January 2021, the month rioters swarmed the Capitol to prevent the certification of former President Joe Biden's votes, the firearms industry set a new record of more than 2 million firearms in one month, CNN reported. That was a 75% increase over the number sold in January 2020. Firearm and ammunition sales also spiked during former President Barack Obama's terms. However, gun sales dropped 17% during the first three years of President Donald Trump's first term, The Trace said. Some gun owners may be shifting their focus on accessorizing the firearms they own instead of buying more, Guy J. Sagi wrote for the American Rifleman in February. An October 2024 NSSF press release (now deleted, archived here) reported that American ownership of suppressors is skyrocketing, with as many silencers sold between May 2021 and July 2024 as were registered in the previous 87 years. Other possible reasons for a drop in sales include more restrictive gun laws in some states and inflation pushing firearms farther down the list of immediate needs for many Americans. According to SafeHomes' analysis of NICS data, these are the states with the most firearms sales in 2024: Texas: 1,363,596 (1.2% increase) Florida: 1,224,566 (7% decrease) California: 1,019,136 (2.3% decrease) Pennsylvania: 822,286 (2.3% decrease) Tennessee: 583,750 (7.8% decrease) Ohio: 583,959 (0.1% increase) Virginia: 566,053 (2.7% decrease) North Carolina: 530,083 (6.1% increase) Missouri: 500,885 (3.8% decrease) Michigan: 481,870 (13.3% decrease) Adjusted for population, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska have the highest gun sales rates in SafeHomes' report. "These states have strong hunting traditions fostered by rural lifestyles and less rigid gun control laws," Gabriele said. "The pro-gun cultures and the need for self-defense in such remote areas, which abound in predators that could harm livestock, may also contribute to higher gun ownership and sales." Wyoming: 68,964 (16.1 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Montana: 135,882 (15.9 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Alaska: 79,217 (15.4 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) New Hampshire: 145,700 (13.3 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Oregon: 429,892 (13.2 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Alabama: 460,694 (12.3 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) North Dakota: 65,170 (11.7 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Idaho: 162,079 (11.5 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) West Virginia: 155,421 (11.5 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Oklahoma: 322,315 (11.1 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) Tennessee: 583,750 11.1 sold per 100 residents aged 21+) In comparison, Florida saw 7 firearms sold per 100 residents 21 and older. National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which falls on the first Friday in June every year, was established to honor the estimated 88 Americans (as of 2015) whose lives were cut short by gun violence every day, and the survivors whose lives are forever changed. The day, and the Wear Orange movement, began when some Chicago teens asked their classmates to wear orange on June 2 to commemorate the birthday of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton. Pendleton was shot and killed a week after marching in President Obama's 2nd inaugural parade. Orange was chosen because it's what responsible gun owners wear in the woods while hunting to protect themselves and others. Former First Lady Michelle Obama attended Pendleton's funeral and delivered the commencement address at what would have been her graduation ceremony. Former President Barack Obama talked about her death in his 2013 State of The Union Address. The Obamas announced they were honoring the slain student through the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium at the Obama Presidential Center. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gun sales down in Florida, America. Why the decline?
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Putin's War Machine Dealt a Double Blow by Kyiv
Ukrainian drones struck two major facilities supplying Russia's military on Monday, dealing a double blow to President Vladimir Putin's war machine. The facilities struck in early morning attacks were a plant in the Chuvash Republic, which produces navigation systems for Russian drones and missiles, and a gunpowder factory in Kazan, according to local reports. Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin for comment by email. Kyiv's efforts to target Russian military facilities will impact Putin's war effort in Ukraine. Efforts led by Washington to bring an end to the conflict are faltering, and both sides have launched large-scale attacks in recent weeks. On Monday morning, local media reported that Ukrainian drones struck a facility producing electrical equipment for Putin's military, located some 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border in the Russian city of Cheboksary in the Republic of Chuvashia. The head of the republic, Oleg Nikolaev, confirmed the attack. He said in a post on his Telegram channel that the facility suspended operations after it was struck by two drones. No casualties were reported, he said. The ASTRA Telegram channel, a project run by independent Russian journalists, published a video that appears to show the aftermath of the strike on the facility. "Several explosions have rocked Cheboksary in the Chuvash Republic. Thick black smoke is visible over the city," the channel said. Local residents reportedly saw at least two drones over the city before at least six explosions were heard and black smoke observed. Air defense systems were activated. Ukrainian news outlet Focus said a second facility—"a gunpowder factory"—was struck in Kazan, a city in southwest Russia. Local residents reported seeing a thick plume of black smoke. Meanwhile on Sunday, Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a chemical plant in Tula Oblast. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an American think tank, said Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation Head, Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko, "who often reports on successful Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia," implied on Sunday that Kyiv's military had struck the Azot chemical plant. "Kovalenko stated that the plant produces explosives for artillery shells, bombs, and missiles," the ISW said. The head of the Chuvash Republic, Oleg Nikolaev, said on his Telegram channel on Monday: "This morning, attempts to use drones from Ukraine were recorded in the Chuvash Republic...A responsible decision was made to temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees." Moscow and Kviv will continue to launch strikes on each other's territory, with the war in Ukraine showing few signs of a peace deal in the near future. Related Articles Putin Approves Military Plans Through to 2050Most Russians No Longer See US as Enemy Nation: PollZelensky Addresses 'Complicated' Aftermath of Oval Office Blowup With TrumpRussian Troops Advance Into Another Ukraine Region: Moscow 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Elon Musk's Epstein List REVEAL Leaves Joe Rogan, Kash Patel STUNNED! Robby Soave
Robby Soave delivers radar on how Elon Musk's claims that President Trump is named in the Epstein files stunned many within GOP including FBI Director Kash Patel.
