EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The Department of Justice announced Wednesday the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.
The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country.
“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.”
“Child sex offenders are a moral disgrace, preying on the innocence of vulnerable children,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Through Operation Restore Justice, the Southern District of Illinois condemns these heinous acts and stands resolute with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to eradicate this evil, protect our children, and deliver unwavering justice to those offenders.”
“There will be zero tolerance for those who commit crimes against our children. There will never be a lead we do not follow or door we do not knock on,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “We will not stand by – we will stand together. This operation shows that with every partner at the table, from law enforcement to community advocates, we are united in one mission, to protect our children.”
In the Southern District of Illinois, four individuals are facing federal charges.
Ryan G. Jones, 30, of Danville, is facing one count of production of child pornography of an 8-year-old minor in February 2025 in Williamson County. Sentencing guidelines for this charge are a minimum of 15 and up to 30 years’ imprisonment.
Trevor W. Yokley, 32, of Vandalia, is facing one count of attempting to entice a minor in Fayette and Effingham counties from January through April 2025. This charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, and a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment.
Jared K. Galbraith, 38, of Belleville, is facing one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity in October 2024 from Alabama to St. Clair County. The sentencing guidelines for sexual exploitation of children convictions are 15 to 30 years’ imprisonment. Convictions for transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity is a minimum of 10 years in federal prison.
Christopher A. Geisen, 44, of Pensacola, Florida, is facing one count of transportation of child pornography of a 12-year-old minor when he was a resident of Alton, Illinois, in October 2024. The sentencing guidelines are a minimum of 5 years and up to 20 in federal prison.
In addition, the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Trafficking Enforcement Bureau arrested 6 individuals during a two-day operation focused on identifying individuals seeking to engage in sex acts with minors in Madison County on April 23 and 24, 2025. The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecutions.
“Protecting children against predators is a key priority, and we are thankful to be partnering with U.S. Attorney Weinhoeft and his team in this essential work,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine.
Indictments and complaints are merely a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
Other individuals arrested across 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.
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 they face. While the Department, including the FBI, 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.
The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for 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.
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling the local FBI field office.
The FBI Springfield Field Office is leading the investigations with support from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Reppert, Ali Burns and Kim Arshi are prosecuting the cases.
