In an announcement that proved their commitment to America’s children, FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shared that Operation Restore Justice, a multi-agency effort to track and arrest child predators, had resulted in 115 children being rescued from trafficking, along with the arrests of over 200 offenders across the country.
For context, during a May 7, 2025, press conference, AG Bondi explained that Operation Restore Justice had led to the arrest of 205 child sex predators in five days, adding that the operation was a joint effort between the DOJ and the FBI. Bondi went on to celebrate the impact of the operation’s success, emphasizing the renewed hope for the victims and their families.
Providing more background on the operation, AG Bondi said that the “kind of work” involved in finding and arresting predators “takes a toll on the FBI agents and the prosecutors who are doing this every single day,” adding, “They are working tirelessly online, dealing with the dregs of our society, the worst of the worse, the people that hide behind a computer and target our young children every single day.”
Continuing, AG Bondi acknowledged that she empathizes with the investigators who have to confront the horrors of those who prey on children online, saying, “Director Patel and I, almost daily in our meetings, talk about these cases and what it does to our officers and our prosecutors, but also how many lives are being saved and how many children are being helped by this.”
Concluding her statement, AG Bondi condemned the actions of child predators online and stressed the importance of protecting children and teens, saying, “They’re talking to your kids like they’re other children, and they’re not. They’re predators. They pose as children.” She added, “The suicide rate among teens ages 14 to 17 has increased as a result of this as well, because teens are taken advantage of and they’re manipulated online by child predators.”
After AG Bondi weighed in on the results of the investigation and the need for more to be done about online child predators, FBI Director Kash Patel stepped up to the podium, thanking Bondi and the others involved in the operation. He said, “As the FBI director, I’m humbled to leave some of the greatest men and women in law enforcement, and I want to thank our 55 field offices, our 90-plus United States Attorney’s offices, our CEO section, our Crim Division here at the Department of Justice, and our field offices throughout the country, with lawyers and prosecutors and agents working tirelessly on some of the harshest criminality we’ve ever seen.”
Additionally, Director Patel emphasized that tracking down child predators is paramount to the FBI, saying, “I also want to just take a moment to emphasize the priority of this Department of Justice and this FBI: our children.” He continued, “If you harm our children, you will be given no sanctuary. There is no place we will not come to hunt you down. There is no place we will not look for you, and there is no cage we will not put you in.” Later, in a May 9, 2025, DOJ press release, Patel added, “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.”
Concluding the press conference, AG Bondi spoke again, clarifying that the operation involved “cases from California to New York to Florida, our entire country,” and adding, “And just in one week, again, 115 victims, we have, 205 offenders have been charged in one week thanks to the FBI. So think what’s happening throughout this country.”
Watch the announcement:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video