Two men with Alabama ties are among more than 200 people arrested in a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice operation targeting child sex predators.
Operation Restore Justice – a massive effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators – was carried out over five days by the FBI’s 55 field offices, DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and U.S. Attorney’s Office from around the country.
Authorities on Wednesday said the operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrest of 205 suspects.
Jalan Christophe Lewis, 31, of Tuscaloosa, and Robert John Newman Jr., 28, of Pennsylvania, were arrested in the Northern District of Alabama.
Lewis is charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, transferring obscene materials to minors, sexual exploitation of children, distribution of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
These alleged incidents happened between July 2024 and November 2024 in Tuscaloosa County.
Newman is charged with sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement of a minor, and travelling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The alleged incidents took place between December 2024 and January 2025 in Winston County.
“Protecting the most vulnerable members of our society remains a top priority,” said Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. “These arrests are the result of strong collaboration between our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect victims from child exploitation.”
Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking.
In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms.
In Norfolk, Virginia, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex.
In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.
In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, New York.
“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 U.S. 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.”
FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and FBI Pittsburgh’s Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated these cases with assistance from the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, the Winston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Shaler Township Police Department in Pennsylvania.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Daniel S. McBrayer are prosecuting the cases.
“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,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “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.”