BOSTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation was executed by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.
Over the course of five days, from April 28 through May 2, more than 200 child sexual abuse offenders were arrested nationwide as part of the effort. These subjects include school leaders, registered sex offenders and members of law enforcement who are accused of various crimes including the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM); online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking.
“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.”
“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.”
“Protecting children from exploitation is among the most sacred responsibilities we have in law enforcement. Each case serves as a difficult reminder that child predators are embedded in our communities. Some take on roles that increase their direct contact with children, while others prey on children from behind a keyboard. But make no mistake, we will identify, arrest, and hold every one of them accountable, no matter how long it takes or how far we have to go,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “As Child Abuse Prevention Month came to a close, Operation Restore Justice delivered a powerful and urgent message: protecting children is not just a worthy cause we recognize, it is a mission we carry out every day. We will not relent in our pursuit of those who exploit children, and we are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their tireless work to bring these predators to justice. This work will not stop.”
“There are few situations more urgent than when a child is physically at risk, and as ‘Operation Restore Justice’ has shown, child predators come in many different forms,” said James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “As horrific as these alleged crimes are, they are not rare. Make no mistake, FBI Boston’s Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force is committed to finding these child sex abusers, locking them up, and ensuring those they have victimized are safe and well-supported.”
In the District of Massachusetts, five individuals were arrested and charged during this Operation:
- Former Assistant Director of Admissions at Emmanuel College Jacob Henriques, 29, of Boston, is charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor. Henriques is accused of soliciting an underage college applicant to engage in commercial sex with him;
- Level 1 sex offender Justin Ouimette, 34, of Holyoke, is charged with possessing CSAM. Ouimette allegedly possessed over 400 files depicting CSAM, including the abuse of victims as young as three years old. The defendant has a prior 2022 state conviction for possessing CSAM;
- Warren Messeck, 75, of Agawam, is charged with possessing CSAM. Messeck was allegedly identified as a user of an internet-based peer-to-peer network downloading CSAM. Over 40 electronic devices were subsequently seized from his residence. Over 10,000 CSAM files were allegedly stored on six of the seized devices;
- Brandon Bendall, 49, of Wareham, is charged with possessing and receiving CSAM. According to court documents, Bendall was allegedly identified as a member of an online chat group in which members viewed and posted CSAM. During a search of Bendall’s residence and cell phone, approximately 9,400 images and videos of CSAM, including images of children as young as infants being sexually abused, were allegedly located; and
- Cess Frazier, 32, of Boston, is charged with receiving CSAM. It is alleged that approximately 100 media files depicting CSAM were allegedly found saved on the defendant’s phone.
This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers of online predators. While the Department investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims and raising awareness through community education.
As part of its prevention efforts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts’ robust Project Safe Childhood (PSC) program provides public education and outreach to communities on how to keep children safe online. To date, for the current 2024-2025 school year, the program has reached nearly 8,000 children, parents and school employees across 37 cities and towns. If you would like to host a PSC presentation for students, parents, or other groups in your community, or if you have questions regarding the District’s PSC program, please email us at USAMA.PSCOutreach@usdoj.gov.
The FBI takes a proactive approach to identify unknown individuals involved in the sexual exploitation of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. There is a Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force located in each field office, allowing the FBI to combine resources with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The FBI also receives information from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which collects and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through https://report.cybertip.org/ and its 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST.
In 2004, the FBI created the Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) to identify individuals involved in the sexual abuse of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. The program is a collaborative effort between the FBI and the NMCEC.
The FBI also offers resources for parents and caregivers to stay engaged with their children’s online and offline activities. The FBI’s Safe Online Surfing (SOS) program teaches students in grades 3 to 8 how to navigate the web safely.
The FBI urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through our tiplines at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.