Houston Police worked with several local law enforcement agencies to arrest dozens of suspects facing various charges related to child sex.
“Operation Broken Heart III" was a coordinated effort by more than 30 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with the goal of arresting online child predators and raising awareness of internet safety through community outreach programs, HPD says.
A task force concentrated on offenders “who possess, manufacture and distribute child pornography, engage in online enticement of children for sexual purposes and engage in commercial sexual exploitation of children, commonly known as child prostitution.”
You can view some of the suspect mugshots and their online names below.
Mugshots: Suspects in area child predator bust
The arrests were announced at a press conference on Friday morning.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office says its arrests include a pizza delivery man, security guard and someone who works at kickboxing gym. Fort Bend County says its suspects include a former police officer, a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer at a kids charity.
A Homeland Security official said some of the suspects solicited kids via online gaming.
In all, more than 100 suspects were arrested and charged in the operation.